


To Be So Lonely

by craigorytucker



Category: South Park
Genre: (will add more tags as time goes on!), M/M, so I hope you enjoy it, this is such a cliched high school au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:13:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 47,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26350189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craigorytucker/pseuds/craigorytucker
Summary: South Park was a town fueled on rumors and football.There was never anything to do, so people talked.And they talked a lot.Despite everything, Craig Tucker has managed to keep his sexuality AND family finances under wrap. All because he was one of the star football players.But-when an old friendship blossoms his senior year of high school-maybe the truth wouldn't hurt for once.
Relationships: Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak
Comments: 102
Kudos: 188





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

South Park is a town fueled by two things: rumors and football.

Considering there isn’t much else to talk about, people will start to make things up about one another. No one was safe, not even the kids.

When Craig Tucker was ten, someone started a rumor that he was caught smoking a cigarette at recess and suspended for three weeks.

When he was fourteen, someone spread a rumor that he lost his virginity to Bebe Stevens in her basement.

When he was sixteen, he had apparently slept with the entire squad of cheerleaders _in one weekend_.

He’s asked about a lot of things still, especially by the guys on the football team after practice.

“Did you really sleep with Wendy over the weekend? Stan will be SO pissed if that’s true! They haven’t dated since eighth grade, but you know he’s still in love with her!”

“Is Nichole a good kisser?”

“I heard you beat up Damien at a party Friday after the game and that’s why he has a blackeye!”

Craig has only talked to Wendy Testaburger when he has to.

Nichole has been dating Token for three years and he would _never_ jeopardize one of his friend’s relationships.

Damien Thorn is just a drunk idiot and hit his head on a table after stumbling over his feet.

Despite all those rumors, Craig keeps his head up. They aren’t necessarily _bad_ , but part of him wishes- _just once_ -someone spread a rumor that he was gay.

It would make the whole _coming out thing_ way easier anyways.

Sure, he wasn’t the only gay guy in town: Damien came out sophomore year, Kenny came out in eighth grade, Pip came out freshman year, and Tweek came out in seventh grade. But something in Craig’s head always told him to stay hush about it. Maybe it was because of the way the guys always seemed so excited to gossip at practice with him about the latest rumor involving Craig. Maybe it was because a lot of people in town look up to Craig and will give him a free meal just because they can’t wait to see him play in the game that week.

But-

“Hey,” Craig shook his dad awake gently, rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes as he tucked his arm under his back. “Time for your meds, dad.”

Craig wasn’t anything like the rumors said about him.

He wasn’t a _bad_ guy like the adults like to label him.

He wasn’t a troublemaker, a whore, a delinquent.

He was just an eighteen-year-old kid trying to make ends meet with his family.

“It’s five already?” Thomas chuckled, moving with Craig as his son helped tug him up.

“Yeah. Mom had to leave a little early today before work to get gas, so that’s why I’m here.”

Craig’s life flipped on its head when he was fourteen. His dad was on his way home from work late one night when a drunk driver collided into the side of his car. Thomas was paralyzed from the waist down for six months, but-after multiple surgeries and a miracle-he was able to slowly start walking again. He still can’t walk very well and needs help going up and down the stairs, showering at times, and getting things off the top shelf in the kitchen, but that’s why Craig was here. Craig admired his dad’s strength and always admired him in general, so-in one night almost four years ago-Craig grew up way too fast.

“She works too hard, that woman.” Thomas sighed out. They took each step one at a time, soft grunts leaving Thomas’s lips with each one.

“I know,” A pause. “But that’s why I work three days a week.”

“ _You_ work too hard,” Thomas said suddenly. “I’m worried about you.”

“ _Me_?” Craig pushed his hair out of his face, getting all his dad’s medication set up before grabbing a glass of water. “Please, I’m young and I’m _fine_.”

“You’re eighteen-nineteen before you even graduate-and you’re working _overnight_ at a car dealership as a security guy,” Thomas sighed. “I know you want to help and-and everything, Craig, but-”

“Dad,” Craig sat at the table across from him, tying his shoulder length hair back before leaning his elbows on the table. “I don’t mind helping out, you know that. I’ve been working since I was fourteen and-and I’ll survive.”

Thomas looked his son up and down with worried eyes. The kid was healthy, stayed out of trouble, helped around the house, one of the town’s star players, and a gentleman. But Thomas held onto a sense of guilt that he took the last bit of Craig’s youth away from him.

“Your hair is getting too long. It hasn’t been at your shoulders in a long time.”

“It’s fine. Maybe with some Christmas money I’ll get a haircut.”

“Bud, they’re twenty dollars at the cheap places.”

“It isn’t a necessity.”

Craig stood to grab a cup of coffee, Thomas staring at his back before chuckling.

“Sometimes I forget how stubborn you are.”

The sudden knock on the door made both men jump, Craig crossing the room in three big steps and tugging the door open. It was Carole McCormick, a thankful smile already spreading on her face.

“Oh Jesus, Craig! Can-I’m so sorry to be bothering you this early-but can you take Stuart and I to work? Our car is out of gas and we don’t get paid until tomorrow and-!”

“Hey-Hey it’s alright! You know I’d do anything for you, Mrs. McCormick. Let me just get my shoes and a shirt on.”

Carole let out a shaky breath as she smiled, stepping into the home and out of the cold morning air before leaning against the closed door.

“Hi Thomas.”

“Morning Carole.”

“You have a good boy, you know that?”

Thomas gave a shrug of his shoulder, chuckling as Craig came back downstairs.

“He’s alright.” He teased, Craig rolling his eyes at his dad’s remark.

“I’ll be back dad!”

That was the other thing about South Park: the side of town you lived on matters.

And Craig so happens to live on the “bad side of town”-but it could also just be considered the _poor_ side of town if you live here.

The McCormicks are his neighbors and they have been for about three years now. The Tuckers had to sell their house and move to the other side of town after Thomas had his accident. The money they got from the house went straight towards paying off his medical bills, and everything they’ve made since then goes towards groceries, bills, and trying to stay the fuck alive.

And as Craig started up his beat-up truck with the McCormick parents in the back seat talking, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath as he passed into the “good side of town”.

The air always felt a little cleaner to him.

* * *

“McCormick and Tucker are running late.”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Not one bit.” Clyde laughed, elbowing Damien in the side as they all hung out in the parking lot before school started. Since everyone usually arrives at the same time every day, it was easy to tell when one person in their friend group was running late. But-as if on cue-Craig’s truck came rounding the corner with some sort of music blasting way too loud for seven thirty in the morning.

“Speaking of.” Token laughed, waving to Tricia and Karen as they stuck their faces out the back window.

“Hi Token! Hi Jimmy! Hi Damien! Hi Clyde!” They both said together, jumping out of the truck once Craig tossed it into park. Despite having known the Tucker family for a long time, the sheer size of _both_ Tucker children was still surprising to everyone. Craig stood at six foot seven and Tricia was a few inches shy of six feet tall.

“Hello ladies!” They all shouted back, waving once more as they rushed to meet up with their friends. Craig stretched his arms above his head as Kenny and him walked over, yawns passing both their lips.

“Early morning, boys?” Damien teased, Craig kicking him in the back of the knee. He just caught himself off the edge of his car, glaring at Craig.

“Dude, what the fuck do you think?” Craig hissed, but a teasing smile sat on his lips anyways.

“How was everyone’s weekend? Any new gossip? Any new kiss and tells?” Clyde said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“I heard _Pip_ got with someone again.” Kenny jumped into the conversation right away, the circle of friends making their way towards the school now.

“Isn’t t-t-that like…n-number ten?” Jimmy asked.

“I’ve lost track at this point.” Clyde grumbled, waving to a few girls as they waved and giggled his way. It made Craig roll his eyes, because sure-positive attention was positive attention-but… _no guys were doing this to him_.

“ _Speaking of Pip_ ,” Damien mumbled. “Morning Phillip!”

Craig turned in the direction he heard the small yelp come from, the petite cheerleader giving a wave as he blushed.

“O-Oh! Morning gents!”

“Heard you got some this weekend, huh?” Kenny elbowed his side before leaning against the lockers, Pip’s face flushing even darker in color.

“Y-You boys know that-that those are all _rumors!”_ He stammered out, but no matter how many times Pip tried to defend himself, it never seemed to work.

It started not long after he came out.

He had supposedly sucked someone’s dick at a party before even having his first kiss.

Then he had gone to the next town over and was fucked by three guys on the football team.

There were more and more fake guys than Pip knew real guys at this point, but-despite people only seeing the negative in him-he only saw the positives in others.

“A-Are they th-though?” Jimmy asked, but then Wendy jumped in.

“Yes! You should know better than to believe in those fucking rumors, Jimmy!” She defended, and Jimmy held his hands up in mock defense the best he could while holding onto his crutches.

“I-I’m just-just the messenger!”

Nichole rolled her eyes before accepting a kiss on the cheek from Token, wrapping her arm around his waist before humming in her throat.

“You boys should know better than anyone that this town is full of nothing but rumors. Hell, Cartman was the one that said Craig and I kissed in an effort to get back at Token after he refused to help him study for a test!”

Craig chuckled at that, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Good times, huh Nichole?” He teased, but then a new voice met his ears. One he only hears a few times a day but always wishes he could hear more.

“Who brought the meatheads over?”

Ah…Tweek.

One of Craig’s former best friends and someone he wishes he could be more like. Tweek was so unapologetically… _himself_ that it made Craig wish he could be the same. He used to hang out with Clyde, Token, Jimmy, and him in elementary school, but come middle school, Tweek started hanging out more with the girls. He just shared more interest in talking about fashion and boys with them than he did talking about football and girls with the guys.

And Craig can’t fault Tweek for that.

Part of him wishes he could get to know Tweek more now since it’s been almost a good seven years since he’s last hung out with the kid.

That…and the fact Craig has always had a _fat crush_ on him.

Something about his freckled face, bright green eyes, plump lips, the dip of his waist, and his _thighs and ass_.

Craig shook his head slightly to stop from thinking any further, because if he didn’t stop soon, he was _sure_ to have a boner in the next ten seconds.

“Damien just _had_ to say hello to Pip here.” Clyde teased, slugging an arm around Damien.

“Because I’m a fucking nice guy! Now get off!” Shoving Clyde’s arm off of him, Damien scoffed before offering his arm to Pip. “C’mon, Phillip, I’ll take you to class today.”

Blinking a few times, Pip just nodded as he tucked some hair behind his ear. Despite all the rumors about Damien, he was always a sweet and gentle guy. At least he was to Pip. He wasn’t sure _why_ considering everything that’s been said about himself, but Pip wasn’t going to turn down such a sweet offer from Damien. The group slowly made their way down the hall to go towards wherever their first classes were, until-finally-Craig was left alone with Tweek. They shared first period together-so that made sense-but boy was his heart _hammering_ in his chest.

“I like- _ah_ -your outfit today.” Craig said quietly. Tweek blinked, looking up at Craig with a small smile.

“You do?”

“Uh huh,” A pause. “Blue is my favorite color.”

Tweek stared at Craig a moment longer before pushing his glasses up his nose a bit, humming softly. He’s always wondered if the rumors about Craig were true. For someone that was supposed to be the biggest Playboy in high school and has been voted “hottest guy” year after year, he was a man of few words and awfully shy it seemed at times.

“I remember that,” Tweek smiled. “You always had a blue hat on.”

“And jacket. And backpack. Blue _everything_.”

Tweek laughed quietly at that, holding his book a little tighter to his chest.

“You don’t wear so much blue anymore.”

“Because I realized there’s more to life than just blue,” Craig looked down at Tweek after shoving his hands into his pockets. “There’s a whole rainbow out there.”

He wasn’t sure why, but the sentence was so… _poetic_ in an odd way to Tweek, the blonde nodding before taking his respective seat next to Kyle Broflovski. Craig sat further back in the room, immediately slumping in an effort to get his long legs situated under the desk.

“You alright?” Kyle asked, Tweek nodding as he grabbed a pencil out of his backpack.

“Yeah just…need more coffee.”

* * *

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, because every day was practically the same at South Park High. But-after school-everyone either went home or went to their respective extra curricula activity.

For Tweek, that meant meeting up in the library for student council for about thirty minutes, and then staying after with Nichole, Bebe, Wendy, and Pip for their book club.

Yes: Tweek ran a book club, but it was because there is so _much_ to discover out there through literature and it always made him so _excited_ to sit with his friends and talk about a mutual experience. Because Tweek wasn’t a cheerleader like Pip, or played field hockey like Nichole, or did theater like Bebe. He was in student council with Wendy-who was president-and that was it. He’s tried other clubs and he’s tried sports, but nothing has ever given him as much joy as reading. So he made his own club.

And no one came at first-which really _really_ hurt-but then the girls and Pip showed up one day after a practice was cancelled due to rain or because rehearsal ended early. Even now-with Pip being busy with cheerleading-he comes and talks about the book on his breaks. Sometimes they just end up talking, but Tweek wouldn’t have it any other way.

Especially now, because-

“I swear Clyde had an average size dick!”

They’re making a list of the known dick sizes of the boys in their grade. Was it demeaning? Probably. But it was just between the five of them.

“No no he was a little above average right?” Pip asked, tapping his chin as he thought. “Annie said it was about seven!”

“Alright I’ll believe you!” Bebe laughed, jotting it down on the piece of paper she had leaned against a binder. “Alright next is… _OOOH_ it’s Craig!”

Wendy giggled as she peeked at the list, humming as she thought.

“I heard he was _huge!_ At least nine!”

“N-Nine?!” Tweek interjected, looking at the list as well.

“No no I heard different!” Nichole laughed. “I heard it’s like a foot!”

“How does anyone walk around with something that big?!” Pip giggled, hands resting on his cheeks in disbelief.

“The answer is _barely_ , but he doesn’t seem like he _struggles_ to walk!” Bebe laughed, tapping her pen against her cheek. “Wait…has anyone _actually_ slept with Craig? I’ve only heard the rumors about him but haven’t actually heard anyone confirm anything.”

Suddenly, the group all looked at one another, eyes widening as they realized all at once the same thing: they don’t know if anyone has _actually_ had sex with Craig Tucker.

“I…don’t know,” Tweek said, leaning over with his own pen. “But…for now…”

A big question mark was left next to Craig’s name.

They’d find out one day.

* * *

Craig was so glad to sit down after practice. Grabbing his water bottle, he squirted the cold water into his mouth and gulped it down as fast as he could. Despite the mornings being so cool, the afternoons were still warm-especially after having practiced football for two and a half hours.

“You guys wanna hang for a bit? My old man’s out of town this week so I got the whole house to myself.” Damien said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Duuude party at your house this Friday, right?!” Clyde gasped, already high fiving Damien before he could nod.

“Of course!”

“You always have the good snacks, too.” Kenny said with a grin, grabbing his bag,

“I told my parents I’d bring Nichole over for dinner tonight to celebrate the start of the school year, so I can’t.” Token explained, which just left-

“What about you Craig?” Clyde asked over his shoulder.

“Can’t. Busy.” And he left it at that.

“You’re a man of many words,” Damien sighed out dreamily, leaning against Craig’s side. “Oh Craig! Sweep me away big guy and take me away from this world with your long black hair and beautiful blue eyes and _sexy ass!”_

Craig snickered as he shoved Damien away after he felt a quick smack to his ass, smile on his lips as he hitched his bag up on his shoulder more.

“I got a date.”

They all stopped walking as Craig kept moving forward, everyone grinning at once before gasping.

“A DATE?!”

Rushing back up to surround Craig, they all looked up at him and started spewing questions.

“What’s her name?!”

“Does she go here?!”

“You gonna take her to Stark’s Pond afterwards _if ya know what I mean?!”_

Craig held his hands up as he laughed, tugging his locker open and grabbing his change of clothes and a towel. The water bill was due today and he wasn’t sure if they made the payment or not already. He wasn’t going to risk not showering before his date.

“Guys, I’ll tell you about it _tomorrow!_ I gotta get fucking cleaned up if I wanna make it on time!”

* * *

His date had to pick him up because his truck wouldn’t start after he got home and changed. Everything was going so well it seemed-considering Craig met the guy on Tinder-but then it… _wasn’t_.

Because a familiar voice met his ears as he looked down at the menu.

“Evening gentlemen! Can I get you two anything to drink?”

“House red wine is fine.” His date said. _God that’s right. Owen is twenty-one._

“And for-?”

Craig blinked as he met Tweek’s eyes, face hot with embarrassment as he felt his throat tighten with emotion.

“Um…water.” He managed to choke out, the room suddenly spinning. He was so _careful_ not to go anywhere in South Park for this reason! He didn’t want anyone to _see him on a date with a guy!_ So how comes-even in the next town over- _was Craig seeing the one guy he didn’t want to see?!_

“…W-Water! Got it. We-we have a lovely fish special this evening that- _ah_ -that comes with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables.”

“What kind of fish?” Owen asked.

“Um…s-swordfish. I’ll get your drinks!” And-without another word-Tweek turned on his heel and left. Craig was still staring at the same spot on the table he’s been staring at for ten minutes it seems, eyes a little wide as he could feel his heartbeat behind his eardrums.

“Our waiter is a little… _odd_.” Owen chuckled, but Craig just nodded. Tweek wasn’t odd. He was beautiful and wonderful and _the only person that knew Craig was gay_. He hasn’t even told his _family yet_ and here he was being exposed to Tweek Tweak like a raw nerve.

“He means well.”

“Do you… _know him_?”

“…He’s an old friend. Haven’t seen him in a while.” He lied. Owen hummed as Tweek came back with their drinks, shooting Craig a small smile as he slid his water over to him.

“Do you- _um_ -need more time to-?”

“Craig said he knows you!”

Tweek blinked, face heating up as he could see Craig slump more in his seat.

“We- _um_ -used to hang out a lot.”

“And when you say hang out…?”

“I mean like…we were ten and lived in the same neighborhood.”

Owen just nodded, completely unaware to how low Craig was in his seat and had his hair covering his face.

“I’ll take that swordfish special you mentioned!”

“R-Right. And-and for-?”

“Chicken Caesar salad.” Craig managed to get out, head still spinning from everything around him. Despite the situation, he still remembered to order one of the cheaper items on the menu. Tweek just nodded as he took their menus, shuffling off as quickly as he could. Owen _tsked_ quietly, sipping on his wine before finally noticing Craig.

“You okay?”

“H-huh? Oh! Yeah! Just-” _I accidentally outed myself to the guy I have a fat crush on._ “Need to drink water. Practice was long today.” He ignored the way Owen seemed to stare into his soul as he drank his water.

“That’s right you’re a _football stud_ ,” He chuckled, Craig’s breath hitching as he felt a foot against his knee. “What position are you again?”

“Um…full-fullback.”

“And what’s your job on the field?”

“Fullbacks can either be in charge of-of catching the ball, running the ball if it’s handed to them early on in the play, or-or be a blocker. It’s a little bit of everything.”

“How’d you get slumped with that position?”

“My coach saw me sprout a foot in one year and fullbacks are typically the largest players on the team.” Owen’s foot hitched a little higher on Craig’s leg. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it, but part of Craig thinks he’d like it if it was-

“Here’s some bread.”

Tweek.

If it was Tweek it would be different but…Craig wasn’t really _feeling_ anything towards Owen. He was kinda cute-sure-but…Tweek was here and he was smiling towards people and laughing with his coworkers…it made his heart hurt.

“Thank you.” Owen mumbled, taking a piece out of the basket as Tweek walked away. But this time Craig watched him go, and he caught Tweek looking over his shoulder at them with-what looked to be-a longing expression.

_Is he…jealous?_

No! No no! _You can’t just assume those kinds of things, Craig!_

“Is the bread good?” Craig asked, taking his own piece.

“It’s alright,” Owen leaned forward on the table a little to get closer to Craig. “But I’d _love_ a piece of you.”

The foot on his leg settled on his crotch, applying pressure which made Craig yelp in surprise.

“Oh! My mom is calling _soI’llberightback!”_ Craig practically tumbled out of the booth, rushing to the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. Leaning against the door, Craig pushed his hair out of his face as he tried to catch his breath and calm his heart.

He was hard. _Why am I hard?! I’m not even attracted to him!_

But then he remembered he kept thinking about Tweek.

_Oh…yeah that’ll do it, huh?_

The situation went away rather quickly since everything felt like it was spinning. Someone from South Park knew about Craig being gay. His date was going _horribly,_ and it seems that this Owen guy only wanted to get into his pants. He was starving, but he wasn’t sure if he could wait that long for dinner to come! Especially since he doesn’t want to try and talk to Owen any longer!

The knock on the door behind him made Craig jump, eyes widening when he heard Tweek’s voice.

“Craig?”

Letting out a shaky breath, Craig tugged the door open and leaned his forearm against the doorframe and the door, forgetting just how much taller he is than Tweek.

He couldn’t have been more than five foot four.

“Oh hey!”

“…Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh! Just _peachy keen_ , dude.”

Tweek gave a small smile.

“Craig, if your date isn’t going well, you can tell me.”

Opening his mouth to object, Craig clamped it back shut as he let out a huff of air.

“It’s going horribly.”

“He seemed a little-”

“Odd.”

Tweek smiled along with Craig, giggling quietly as he nodded.

“Go hide in the kitchen and I’ll tell him you had a family emergency.”

Craig blinked as he tried to tell Tweek he didn’t have to do that, but the blonde was already moving away and smiling as he greeted a new table. It made Craig’s stomach flip in an odd way, the fullback trying to sneak into the kitchen as stealthily as he could.

It was difficult considering he stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Oh! Is that Craig Tucker?” He froze, leaning against a nearby wall as Sheila Broflovski approached.

“Evening Mrs. Broflovski. Mr. Broflovski.”

“What are you doing in this town?!” Gerald laughed, shaking Craig’s hand as he saw him extend his hand out.

“Met up with an old friend for dinner! But I- _ah_ -have a family emergency I need to be attending to.”

“Is everything alright?” Sheila asked, concern in her voice.

“Nothing major! My sister fell at cheerleading practice today and hurt her hand and my mom thinks it might be broken and needs me to drive her over since she’s finishing up at work.” He lied, Gerald giving him a firm clasp on the shoulder before giving a smile.

“Well I hope she’s alright. Good luck this Friday, yeah? Go cows!”

“Y-Yeah! Yeah go cows!” Craig choked out, forcing a smile before practically diving into the kitchen once they walked away. He got a few weird looks from the cooks, but no one seemed to pay him much attention. Once he caught his breath, he peaked through the window over towards his table where he could see Tweek talking to Owen. His date was obviously mad looking as he could just hear him yelling over the sound of the sizzling pans behind him. But his eyes widened as Tweek’s usually fluffy hair flattened when Owen dumped his glass of water over his head. He left- _thank God_ -but now Tweek was taking his glasses off and trying to clean them of water as he glared at Craig. Giving a thankful smile, Craig made his way over as he tried not to laugh. Because-when he thought about it-the situation _was_ comical.

“You’re welcome.” Tweek said, but he had a smile on his face despite everything.

“I am… _so sorry_.” Craig said between soft laughter.

“Craig, it’s okay,” A pause. “You just owe me one.”

But then Craig remembered something.

“Actually…I owe you two.”

“And why is that?”

“Because he was my ride here.”

Tweek blinked, tongue poking out to catch a drop of water that was running down his cheek. Craig just about _died_.

“Alright…you owe me _two_.”

* * *

The ride home was-to Craig’s surprise-full of conversation. Tweek wasn’t the same as his ten-year-old self, which Craig expected considering he was seventeen-on his way to eighteen. But the sound of Tweek’s laughter was a sound that would now forever lull him into a sense of comfort.

“I didn’t know you ran the book club at school.” Craig eventually said, Tweek smiling over at him.

“How do you know about that?”

“Pip and Damien have been talking more and mentioned it to him.”

Tweek chuckled as he turned into South Park.

“I think he’s got a crush on Damien. They’d be cute together, don’tcha think?”

Craig couldn’t help but just stare at Tweek for a moment, clearing his throat as he realized his eyes might’ve overstayed their welcome and looked forward out the windshield.

“Yeah…yeah, they would,” He pointed suddenly at Tweek’s street as they neared it. “You can just go home, and I’ll walk from there.”

“What? Craig, I can-!”

“No no it’s fine! I gotta swing by the pharmacy and pick something up anyways. Your house is closer than mine.”

Nibbling on his lip, Tweek nodded as he let out a sigh before turning down his street. Once he pulled up in front of his house, the silence surrounding them when the car was off was…a little uncomfortable. There was clearly something on Craig’s mind, and Tweek thinks he knew what it was.

“…Are you okay, Craig?” He whispered, noticing his leg bouncing.

“Um…c-can you… _please_ not tell anyone you saw me on a date…w-with… _with a man?_ I-I’m not…I haven’t… _told anyone yet_ and I just-”

“Craig,” He placed his hand over top of his, giving it a squeeze and smiling softly. “I wouldn’t _ever_ think of outing you…your secret is safe with me.”

The gentle touch on his hand made Craig see stars, breath catching in his throat and eyes dropping to their hands. Swallowing hard, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled as his eyes closed for a moment.

“…Thank you, Tweek.”

The blonde smiled a toothless smile, pulling his hand back and grabbing his little backpack out the back seat.

“Of course,” Once they were both out of the car, he waved a little as Craig made his way towards the sidewalk. “See you at school?”

“Yeah!” Craig waved back, shoving his hands into his pockets. “See you tomorrow.”

He waited until Tweek was safe inside his house before he turned to head home. He was going to stop by the pharmacy, but when he realized it was ten, he knew his mom was already home. Besides, he had to book it home since he had work in an hour. So-walking as fast as he could-Craig made it home by ten twenty. He entered the house quietly, so he didn’t disturb his mom and dad-who were probably already sleeping. Tricia gave him a smile as he entered, looking up from her homework.

“Hi Craigory.”

“Hey Trish,” He pressed a kiss to her hair before tugging his tie off. “Mom and dad asleep?”

“Mhm. You got work?”

“Yeah. Might have to walk tomorrow if I don’t get home in time.”

“That’s alright. I’ll walk with the McCormicks.”

Craig chuckled quietly as he started unbuttoning his shirt, giving her one last kiss before heading upstairs to get changed. Once he was changed into jeans, Converse, a t-shirt, and his bomber jacket, Craig made his way down the hall to his parent’s room. He tip-toed in the best he could, but the worn-down wooden floors creaked under his weight. Stretching her arms above her head, Laura Tucker smiled tiredly at her son ducking down to kiss her cheek.

“Hi sweet boy.”

“Hi mom,” He chuckled, making sure to tuck the blankets around his dad and then his mom. “Just wanted to say I love you before work.”

“I’m so glad I got to see you before you head out. Did you enjoy your date?”

“It was _fine_ ,” He chuckled. “Didn’t even get to dinner before I had the waiter help me get out of it.”

“That poor waiter. Girl must’ve been really crazy then.” Laura laughed, noticing the small smile on Craig’s lips.

“It was Tweek, actually. He helped me out.”

“I always liked him. He seems like a sweet boy. A shame you two fell out of being friends. Did he drive you home too? I noticed your truck when I got home and thought you were here.”

Craig nodded as he gave her one last kiss on the cheek, moving round to press one to his dad’s cheek as well.

“He drove me home, yes. And we’re still friendly with one another, just…have different interests is all.”

Thomas chuckled quietly now, opening one eye to look at Craig.

“Be safe, kiddo.”

“Will do.”

After brewing some coffee and dumping it into a thermos, Craig waved goodbye to his sister before walking five blocks towards the car dealership. No one was there, no one ever was. It was always just Craig wandering the parking lot for eight hours. Eleven pm until seven am. Three nights a week. It paid decently at seventeen an hour, but it felt like it wasn’t enough. _No amount of money will ever feel like enough_. But-in a way-Craig didn’t mind the silence that surrounded him. There was a little booth for him to sit in if it ever got too cold, but he sat there after an hour and did some homework he didn’t get a chance to get to. The homework could only occupy him for another hour, so he had six more hours to go. By three am, Craig was leaning his head back against the glass of the booth, eyes watering as he felt his throat tighten.

In a town full of rumors, no one has ever connected the dots about Craig and Kenny being neighbors.

Kenny was always poor. That’s just how it has always been.

But Craig hasn’t always been poor.

He is now.

Dirt poor, to be exact, and Kenny was the only person who really knew the extent of his family’s financial situation.

It was times like this-when Craig knew he was _really_ alone-that he let himself have a cathartic cry. He used to hate showing any little sentiment of emotion, but he realized-after his dad was pronounced dead for five minutes-that he can’t hold everything in forever.

So he cried.

He cried for his failed date, cried for the fact he can’t be honest with himself and come out of the fucking closet, cried for his dad, his mom, his sister, for Kenny and his family, for the fact he might not get to go to college.

Cried for the fact he couldn’t be fucking honest about his feelings for Tweek.

He wasn’t sure why it took him so long to figure it out, but Craig’s feelings for Tweek were bigger than he could’ve ever anticipated.

His cry took up only fifteen minutes, so he took a walk around the property. The only thing he saw all night were a few raccoons in the trash, and as the sun peeked up over the mountains, Craig couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief once his boss showed up to relieve him a half an hour early so he could make it to school on time. He usually doesn’t do this-Craig often sprinting home and brushing his teeth while he got changed-but today he actually got to walk home and take his time getting ready. Tricia had already left by the time he got home, his dad sitting in his recliner and getting ready to do his morning physical therapy. They only talked briefly while Craig scarfed down a bowl of cereal, but he was running out of time. So-waving goodbye-Craig was right back out the door. He was fucking _exhausted_ and wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but Craig doesn’t have that luxury right now. Thankfully, his truck cooperated with him and decided to start despite not wanting to yesterday. And-with the windows down on his ride into school-Craig took another deep breath as he passed into the “good side of town”.

It helped wake him up a little more.

So did the laughter of his friends that met his ears once he pulled into the parking lot. The sound of people saying hi to them as they made their way to their lockers to grab their books and notebooks. And-as he bid farewell to the guys-Craig couldn’t help but feel like crying once more as the exhaustion quickly crept back into his bones without someone to talk to.

But the sunshine in his first class seemed extra bright today.

Maybe it was because Tweek wasn’t sitting in his usual seat, but in one closer to Craig’s.

Maybe it was the way Tweek smiled up at him and said-

“Good morning, Craig!”

Everything didn’t seem so gloomy all of a sudden because of that. All because of the human embodiment of sunshine smiling up at him with the sincerest look sprawled across his face.

It made Craig’s heart grow three sizes.

“Good morning, Tweek.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well i did it  
> I started YET ANOTHER STORY  
> I cannot focus long enough on one thing for the life of me, but I've been dying to start this one since I thought of it last week. It was loosely inspired by the show Friday Night Lights (which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND if y'all have never seen it). I hope you guys enjoyed this one though! Not sure how long it will be but get ready for a bumpy ride! :) Until next time! (also the title of the story is the Harry Styles song of the same name hehe)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

“Let’s go! Hustle, gentlemen, hustle!”

Usually, Craig would be one of the first ones done running his laps, but today? God, his head was spinning, he was fucking exhausted, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. But he can’t. It’s Thursday-meaning tomorrow was game day-so today’s practice was extra important. South Park wasn’t the best team, but they weren’t all that bad. This year consisted of some of their strongest players-freshman included in that list-and Craig just wanted to get as far as possible this season. He didn’t feel he was good enough for college football. Hell, was he even going to be able to afford to go to college? At this rate: no, he wasn’t going to be able to go. But that sure as hell didn’t stop him from trying his fucking best at everything he did. So-pushing through the fog in his brain-he ran past the group of guys he was trailing behind before practically tumbling to his water bottle.

“Jesus, Tucker, you’re acting like you’ve never had water before.” Damien panted out, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“I’m thirsty.” Was all Craig said about the situation. Clyde clasped a hand on his shoulder suddenly, giving him a shake as he pointed towards the stands.

“Hey-Hey are those the girls and Tweek?” He said, making sure his hair was tidy and in place despite how sweaty he was.

“Don’t they usually have book club?” Token chuckled, but Craig had tuned whatever the guys were saying out. Because there-like Clyde said-were the girls plus Tweek. He looked so wonderful today, wearing a gray faux turtleneck, cream colored cardigan, and black jeans and boots. It complimented his skin and round wired glasses wonderfully, and Craig _swore_ Tweek waved his way. So-without thinking-he waved back.

“Dude!”

Craig yelled in surprise as Kenny tugged on his hair, smacking his hand away before gathering it to pull back.

“Fucking shit Kenny! What?!”

“Who the hell you drooling over?! I said your name like three times!”

Craig let out a huff of breath after he finished tying his hair back into a bun, yawn passing his lips before he looked at Kenny.

“It’s nothing,” A pause. “C’mon asshole.”

Tweek felt his stomach do those weird flips again as he watched Craig move into position to run the first play. They had talked a little bit throughout the week in class, but they haven’t talked much _outside_ of their class together. He wanted to- _so bad_ -and Tweek can’t figure out why Craig hasn’t asked him for his phone number yet at this point! _Because he doesn’t **like** you like that, Tweek_.

“They look good out there. I’m surprised Stan has managed to keep the quarterback title for all these years.” Nichole said, Tweek blinking as he watched the ball get tossed in the air. It started to drop, no one really even near it, but then Craig was there. He was there and it landed _perfectly_ in his arms before he turned and pushed his way through the barricade of defense that tried to stop him. He got tackled right before the endzone (by three guys, Tweek noticed) and the sound of the whistle made him jump only slightly. He was _so_ out of his element here. Tweek knew absolutely _nothing_ about football! But… _that’s a good thing_. That gives him something to ask Craig about!

“Stan’s kept that position because he’s got a good arm.” Wendy added, but Bebe nudged her side with a snicker.

“Not good enough to keep you on his arm, though.”

“Shut up, Bebe!” Wendy laughed, face heating up as she looked back towards the guys.

“The cheerleaders look good, too.” Tweek pointed out, hand motioning to the girls and few guys practicing at the end of the field. They all cheered as they saw Pip get tossed in the air, the petite blonde turning once he landed and waved with a grin on his face. Tweek felt a pang of frustration settle in his body when he saw the way the rest of the team snickered and sneered. They didn’t deserve Phillip’s kindness, anyways.

“He’s going to Damien’s party tomorrow. I think he’s going to try and talk to him more.” Nichole explained, eyes darting back to watch Token on the field.

“That’s suicide for him, you know that,” Bebe sighed out. “He’ll have three new rumors about him by _Saturday_.”

“Well…what if we went?” Wendy suggested.

“What do you mean _what if we went_?” Tweek said with wide eyes.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like!” Wendy snickered. “We never go to parties! We spend every Friday night at my house or-or at Nichole’s! We should change it up! We’re _seniors_ and that means we’re the _top dogs_! We can use it as an opportunity to dress-dress _sexy_ and try and get _someone_ to notice us! Well-excluding Nichole-but you know what I mean!”

Bebe hummed as she stared at Wendy for a moment, head eventually nodding.

“I’m down.”

“What?! Bebe!” Tweek breathed out. His anxiety was _screaming_ for him not to go, _screaming_ that this is how rumors get started and by Monday he could be completely _ruined_! But…then he looked at the field. He looked down and saw that number 33 running through the crowd of men on the field as if it was nothing and pushing his way into the endzone. He watched him take his helmet off, big grin on Craig’s face when his teammates rushed up and hugged him the best they could with their protective pads.

_…Maybe this is your chance…_

“-gonna be so fucking fun! Right Tweek?”

“H-Huh?”

“I said tomorrow is gonna be so fucking fun!” Bebe laughed, but Tweek just nodded, eyes fixated on Craig once more.

“Yeah…a blast.”

* * *

“Hey.”

Craig blinked when he heard the voice, moving his locker door a bit to see Tweek standing there nervously.

“Oh…hey.”

“Listen…I-I know what I want my first _owe_ to be.”

Craig smiled a bit, slamming his locker shut after he tucked his letterman jacket inside.

“Sure. What is it?”

Tweek’s eyes widened suddenly, gulping down the sudden sense of odd arousal he felt as he noticed Craig’s outfit. Nothing fancy- _oh no not at all_ -but the combination of his football jersey and _gray sweatpants_ really did wonders for him.

“I-I… _ah_ … _fuck_ um…can-can you come to one book club meeting? Even-Even if it’s for like ten minutes? I-I want to get more-more people to come and I-I think people seeing the star um… _fuck I don’t even know what position you play_ -but anyways! I think people seeing you there at a meeting m-might help!” Tweek gave a nervous smile after he finished rambling, holding his books tighter to his chest and pushing his glasses up his nose as they started walking. Craig smiled a bit at Tweek’s word vomit, gathering some hair in his hands before tying it back in a bun. It made Tweek stare again, considering it’s a hairstyle he’s seen so often on women but never on Craig.

It was… _so fucking hot_.

“When? Monday?”

“W-whenever! I know you’re busy!”

“I can do Monday,” Craig rubbed the back of his neck as they walked into first period. “But what book-?”

“ _The Picture of Dorian Gray!”_ Tweek squeaked out, thrusting a copy of the book forward into Craig’s hands. He may be a football player, but he still fumbled with the book for a moment before staring at it.

“Didn’t we have to read this like…freshman year?”

“Yeah-Yeah but i-it’s a favorite of mine so…figured it-you might like that one! I-I know your weekend is busy so-so just read what you can if-if anything at all!” Tweek laughed out nervously, clearing his throat before giving another uneasy smile. “Okay cool bye!” Craig blinked as he shuffled ahead to sit back in his usual spot next to Kyle, looking at the book a little closer as he got himself comfortable in his seat. Kyle blinked as he noticed how red Tweek’s face was, snickering quietly as he looked at his textbook again to finish up the last couple of homework problems he didn’t get to last night.

“Don’t tell me.”

“W-What?” Tweek hissed between his teeth, eyes slightly wide.

“Don’t tell me you’re falling for Tucker.”

“ _What?! N-No! Never! He’s straight!”_ His words were so choked that Kyle barely understood what he said. Tweek’s heart was hammering. He was lying about Craig being straight, of course. And it was fucking keeping him up at night that the most _drop dead gorgeous guy was gay and Tweek probably never even stood a chance with him._

“Tweek, it’s fine if you are. Just…weren’t you guys friends like…a long time ago?”

Looking at his desk, Tweek nibbled on his lip as he thought back to those times. They weren’t bad-oh no-just…he always wondered what things would be like if they never grew apart. It’s natural of course for friends to do that, but why now-senior year-do they seem to be getting somewhat close again? _Close is an exaggeration…you two just started talking again **this week**. _

“Yeah…yeah we were.”

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, Tweek thinking about Craig in those damn sweatpants for the rest of the fucking day. At lunch he _swore_ he saw his dick. It had to be! Nothing else could explain it and Tweek spent eighth period being the fucking craziest person _in all of the world._

They had a list of known dick sizes, and he was going to do his _best_ to make an educated guess so that question mark didn’t seem so daunting on the list next to Craig’s name. After forty-eight minutes of staring at his calculations, Tweek swore he did something wrong.

He landed on eleven inches.

_Eleven_. **_Inches_** _._

_There’s no way! I had to have done something wrong!_

But-as he drove Wendy home since her car was in the shop for a few days-she let out a laugh.

“No, Tweek, I think you’re close.”

“ _WHAT?!_ Wendy, I was doing this as a _joke_ because I’m so fucking horny, but _you think I’m right?!”_

“I-I’m not saying you’re right!” Wendy laughed, eyes scanning over his calculations again. “But…you did all the math right it seems. What did you even do to figure this out?!”

“W-Well, Craig is six foot seven and I _swear_ I saw the tip by the middle of his thigh. His hands are _huge_ and my hand fits in the palm of his-just trust me, I know it does,” He did _not_ feel like trying to explain that because he might slip up and accidentally out Craig (and he would NEVER forgive himself for that). “My hand-from the bottom of my palm to the tip of my middle finger-is a little over eight inches. I did some rough estimates and assumed Craig’s hand was at least two inches longer than mine, so at about ten inches. He put his hand on his lap at one point and-and I just…I don’t know it’s stupid, but I landed on eleven cause I figured give or take a few inches he’s gotta be at _least_ nine to eleven inches long!”

Wendy giggled a bit as she handed the piece of paper back to Tweek as he pulled up outside her house, patting his hair for a second before opening the door.

“Don’t…fall too hard for him. I’d hate to see you get your heartbroken yet again by another straight guy.” She waved to him over her shoulder once the door was shut.

Tweek gave a weak smile, waving back to Wendy before driving off. _God…that’s thing: he isn’t straight. He isn’t straight, but he’ll still break my heart…I just know it._

The hours leading up to the football game were agonizing to Tweek. He was nervous since he hasn’t gone to one since his freshman year, but more so nervous because he doesn’t want to see Craig get hurt. He doesn’t want to see _anyone_ get hurt, but…it should be fun! Yeah, it should be a lot of fun!

“What do you guys have planned tonight?” Mary Tweak asked as she moved about the coffee shop. Tweek looked up from the little bit of homework he was doing. It wasn’t a lot, so he was trying to knock it out before the weekend officially started later tonight.

“Going to the football game.”

The little noise coming from his parents stopped, Richard blinking as he leaned against the counter.

“The football game?”

“Mhm. Then we’re going to Wendy’s after.” He hated lying to his parents, but he knew they wouldn’t condone him going to a party at Damien Thorn’s house. _Especially_ if they knew Craig would be there. He wasn’t sure why, but his parents-more so his _father_ -always had it out for Craig. They didn’t like it when they hung out when they were younger and almost seemed relieved when Tweek stopped seeing him.

Maybe they fell victim to the rumors about him.

“Shaking up your routine! I like it!” Mary chuckled, continuing her sweeping.

“That’s what we figured! Besides, it’s our senior year! I-I wanna try and go to more school functions and-and plus I want to support Phillip on the cheerleading squad!”

“You better go to Wendy’s right after, young man, and nowhere else.” Richard warned, but Mary _tsked_ her tongue slightly and batted his foot with the broom.

“Richard, relax! Tweek’s a good boy and you know that!”

“Look, I know who’s on the football team and I don’t want you getting mixed up with him again. Not after all this time!”

“ _Dad,_ Craig is a _nice guy!”_

“Bullshit, and you know it! He’s a troublemaker, a delinquent, and I’m surprised that school hasn’t suspended him at this point!” Richard hissed out, Tweek slumping in his seat and grumbled to himself.

“ _Surprised I haven’t fucking snapped in this household yet.”_

“What was that, Tweek?”

“ _Nothing_ dad! God!” He groaned, grabbing his books and backpack before marching out the door. He could hear his dad shouting after him, but he knew his mom calmed him down. He couldn’t be there right now. He had to be _excited and happy_ going into this! Tweek can’t let his dad get to him so easily!

But…it _was_ kind of fun knowing that Tweek would more than likely hang out with Craig tonight and his father would be none the wiser.

* * *

The sounds of the stadium were a little overwhelming to Tweek. Sure, he can hear them from his house and see the lights, but they were so _intimidating_ up close. They showed up a little bit into the first quarter, the sounds of football helmets colliding together, the crowd cheering, the cheerleaders shouting, the band playing loudly…it was a lot… _but boy was it actually kind of fun_. They found a spot higher up in the stands, Tweek watching the cheerleaders for Pip. They were able to spot their friend pretty easily, Bebe yelling down towards the squad after a little bit of time until they got his attention. The grin on Pip’s face was contagious as he waved, Tweek giggling a bit before he looked at the girls next to him.

“So…what’s the plan tonight?”

“Well-I dunno bout you guys-but I wanna get drunk.” Nichole laughed.

“ _Drunk?!_ W-Wait- _hold on_ -there’s alcohol?!” Tweek hissed out between his teeth.

“That’s what Damien’s parties are notorious for!” Bebe laughed. “His old man is never home, and he never locks the liquor cabinet!”

Nibbling on his lip, Tweek whined in his throat before looking out towards the game. He had _no clue_ what was happening, but he scanned frantically to try and find that number 33.

“I-I already lied to my parents about being at Wendy’s after this, but h-how am I gonna get out of this if they find out?!”

“You don’t _have_ to drink, Tweek,” Wendy assured. “No one is gonna force you.”

“Except Cartman, so maybe avoid him at _all costs_.” Nichole warned, Tweek nodding as he swallowed hard. _God…where the fuck is Craig?!_

Meanwhile-on the field-Craig could barely hear anything over the sound of his heart in his ears. Of course, he heard whatever play Stan wanted to run, but part of him just kept wondering: is Tweek here?

He had no reason to think that he would be there because his group _never_ really goes to games, but part of him was hopeful. The sound of Stan yelling met his ears, heartbeat suddenly fading away and the sounds of the stadium flooded his ears.

_“SET HIKE!”_

His legs always moved before his brain could register, but it always made Craig feel so _alive_ as he pushed his way through the barrage of guys trying to stop him. It was rare he was held back-but there have been times where Craig Tucker has met his match. _Not this time_. No, this time he broke the wall in front of him and ran as fast as he could, head turning back to see the ball coming towards him. _Fuck fuck fuck._ There were two guys coming at him on either side, the ball a little over his head still. He wouldn’t be able to make it to where it could land in his hands like in practice because then he’d be tackled. But… _huh…that could work_. Stopping suddenly, Craig turned around and jumped, fingertips connecting with the ball and his legs grabbed by the guys. He landed rather hard, grunt passing his lips as he bounced up off the turf, but he made the catch: _and that was all that mattered._ Letting out a laugh of disbelief, Craig stood up thanks to the help of one of the guys that tackled him, giving a nod of his head as thanks before Damien and Token were slapping his back.

“Dude I knew you were tall, but I didn’t think you could get any taller!” Damien laughed, Craig snickering as he tossed the ball to the referee.

“I’m full of surprises, you know that.”

The next play involved Craig acting more in the defensive role, but Token was able to secure them a touchdown regardless. And-somewhere in that sea of fans- Tweek couldn’t help but grin as he was able to lock onto Craig for the rest of the game after that incredible play. He liked to think Craig knew he was there, but…he probably didn’t. And that’s okay! It just gave him the opportunity to surprise him afterwards.

So that’s what they did.

Near the end of the game, Tweek nibbled on his lip as he looked at the girls.

“Um…c-can we go down towards that tunnel they go through to get to the locker rooms? I-I wanna- _ah_ -surprise… _Craig_.”

The girls looked at him for a moment, all giggling before Nichole looped her arm through his.

“C’mon, gorgeous, let’s go see your little crush up close!”

“I-I don’t have a crush! I swear! I just-he had asked if I was coming to the game this week and I never gave him an answer!” Okay, so that was another lie. Craig never asked him at all, but…he can still support!

“Uh huh, sure Tweek.” Wendy laughed, noticing her friend’s ears turning a cute shade of pink.

“ _I-I don’t_!”

“You calculated-!”

“SHUT UP!” He screeched, face hot with embarrassment as he held onto Nichole’s arm tighter. Thank _God_ she knew where she was going, because Tweek wouldn’t even know where to stand down here! It was _way too crowded_ and everyone wanted a chance to talk to their favorite player after the game. But Nichole has been dating Token since sophomore year: she knew what she was doing. And it seemed that a lot of the regular attendees knew who _she_ was, making way for her to get closer to the little ropes they had to block off people from walking through near the end of the game. The final whistle made the crowd _erupt_ into cheers, Tweek looking at the scoreboard and smiling. _35-18._ South Park _dominated_ the visiting team, and it just made Tweek even more excited to see Craig.

“ _Token_! Token over here!” Nichole eventually shouted; her boyfriend’s smiling face suddenly visible within the crowd of players. Taking his helmet off, Token let out a laugh as he pressed a chaste kiss to Nichole’s lips. A weird pang of… _jealousy_ settled into Tweek’s stomach, smile faltering for a moment as he suddenly felt out of place.

He…he shouldn’t be here.

Craig probably doesn’t even _care_ that he’s here! Hell, he’s probably already back in the locker rooms with Damien, Kenny, and Clyde and they’re talking about the party already! So-letting out a defeated sigh-Tweek backed himself up from the ropes.

But a hand suddenly wrapped around his wrist.

“Hey you came!”

Eyes widening, Tweek looked up from his feet as he let out a shaky breath.

Nothing else mattered around him.

All he could see was Craig’s grinning, _sweaty_ face and his hand on his wrist.

“I…I-I-!”

“Tucker come on!” Clyde shouted, Craig looking his way.

“Hold on, dude!” He looked back at Tweek, tugging him back closer to the rope. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight!”

“I-I wanted to see Pip cheer! And-and I-I figured why not support you and-and the other guys as well? You guys were _great!_ ”

Craig let out a breathless laugh, looking over his shoulder toward the locker room before letting his hand slide to hold onto Tweek’s.

He swore-if it weren’t for the crowd of people behind him-Tweek would’ve passed out right then and there from how warm Craig’s touch was.

“I hope you had fun! Listen,” He ducked his head down by Tweek’s ear. He reeked of sweat _so bad_ but Tweek didn’t really care. Not with his face so close to his. “Damien’s having a party at about ten. You should swing by. Bring the girls and Pip.”

“I-I… _okay_.”

They were going to show up regardless but having a formal invitation from _Craig Tucker_ just made Tweek see hearts popping up around the football player’s head.

“I gotta go, but I hope to see you there!” Craig shouted as he was whisked away by Kenny, Tweek giggling a bit before waving. Nichole grabbed his wrist as she made her way back towards where Wendy and Bebe were waiting, Pip already with them and talking about the party they were all attending in an hour.

Tweek knew one thing: he might need a drink just to fucking survive the night if Craig Tucker kept touching him real gently like that.

* * *

The party seemed like it had been going on forever by the time they all showed up, Tweek blinking as he watched people make out in Damien’s front yard, play beer pong along the side of the house, and had spin the bottle on the front porch.

“I-It’s only ten thirty! We’re only thirty minutes late!” Tweek gasped, yelping as a freshman girl stumbled into him. He steadied her before he caught up with the girls, Nichole laughing.

“That’s the thing about Damien’s parties: he knows how to throw some _ragers!”_

The inside of the house seemed to be just as crowded as the outside, the hustle and bustle of hot and horny teenagers immediately smacking Tweek in the face. There were a few couples already making their way upstairs, some freshman and sophomore football players talking to a few cheerleaders, and Eric Cartman smack dab in front of the liquor cabinet.

“Whoooooa new faces! And some faces I _never_ thought I’d see here!” He slung a heavy arm around Tweek’s shoulder, fist rubbing against his hair as he laughed.

“Ew Eric, knock it off!” He screeched, pushing him away and tumbling into Wendy.

“Chill man, it’s cool!” Cartman teased, elbowing Tweek’s side. “I know the pickings for gay guys are slim, but I heard _the_ Damien Thorn himself has a thing for blonde twinks like you.”

“ _Blonde tw-_ HEY!” Tweek’s cheeks turned red in frustration, huff of air leaving his lips as Bebe smacked Cartman upside the head.

“Shut the fuck up, dude! Why are you patrolling the liquor cabinet anyways?!”

“Because-dear Bebe-I am the bartender, and the bartender says that _you four_ need drinks!”

Tweek gulped at that, letting out a shaky breath as he shook his head.

“I-I’m okay! None for me!”

Cartman _tsked_ his tongue, head shaking as he passed a cup over to Bebe of whatever _concoction_ sat in a plastic storage bin.

“Tweek my boy, you haven’t _lived_ until you’ve tried one of my drinks!”

“N-No! I’m fine!” He squeaked out, Wendy shooting him a smile.

“Go get some air, we’ll catch up in a bit! See if you can find Phillip!”

Tweek didn’t have to be told twice as he rushed off, poking his head into multiple rooms to try and find his friend… _or Craig_. The scent of weed hit his nose, blinking as he opened the basement door. More music met his ears and the scent only got stronger. Coughing a bit as he made his way downstairs, Tweek saw at least _one_ familiar face amongst the small crowd of people.

“Annie!”

Blinking slowly, Annie looked over her shoulder and grinned as she recognized her friend.

“Tweek! Dude!” She laughed, stumbling over and wrapping her arms around him. “What the fuck are you doing here?!” She was clearly stoned-eyes red around the edges-but she was at least able to hold a conversation.

“I-I’m trying to find Pip! The girls are upstairs if you wanted to say hi!”

“Yeah for sure! Pip is…I think Pip might be in the closet?”

“… _Annie, what do you mean?”_

“I mean he’s in that closet over there with someone! He’s been in there for like ten minutes _even though it’s called seven minutes in heaven!”_ Annie let out a groan, cupping a hand around Tweek’s ear. “I got Jason to agree to go in with me, so I’m a little impatient.”

Tweek felt a sudden sense of fear settle into his bones, nodding as he pushed his way closer to the door. He pounded his fist on it, eyes slightly wide.

“ _Phillip?!_ Phillip, are you in there?! Ph-!”

“Jesus Christ, who in the fuck keeps-?!”

Tweek blinked as he was face to face with Damien Thorn, eyes widening as Pip’s head poked out from the coats hanging up.

“Tweek?!” Phillip gasped, grin sprawling across his face as he hung of Damien’s arm. The scent of vodka hit him _hard_ , Tweek’s nose scrunching up from it as he smiled.

“H-Hey! I just-Annie told me you might be in here and-and- _oh Jesus_ -I was just checking in!”

“He’s fine, blondie,” Damien mumbled, ruffling Tweek’s hair. Their lips were so kiss swollen that it made Tweek a little jealous. _God…why can’t that be me? And why am I so jealous of everyone lately! I’m not the jealous type!_ To say he wasn’t at _least_ a little bit attracted to Damien would be a lie, but that was Pip’s longtime crush. He wouldn’t _dare_ take that away from him. And-after _all this time_ -something finally happened. “I think Craig’s on the second floor with Clyde and Token if you’re looking for him.”

“Thanks Damien,” A pause. “Why are you in the closet if this is your house?”

“Gotta play by party game rules, dude.” Damien said, tongue poking out between his teeth as he wiggled his eyebrows. Pip’s laughter met his ears as the door started shutting, smile crossing Tweek’s lips as he caught Damien pressing their lips together again.

_Enjoy, Phillip._

“Tweek!” A yelp passed the blonde’s lips as a heavy arm landed across his shoulder again, grimace crossing his face as Tweek groaned.

“Cartman, what the fuck are you-?!”

“Dude, I felt bad earlier and just wanted to offer you this.” He held out a red solo cup practically overflowing with juice, Tweek’s green eyes narrowing as he looked at Eric.

“I told you I don’t want-!”

“There’s no alcohol, I swear! Take a sip!”

Grumbling under his breath, Tweek let Cartman tip the cup back for him, taking a few big gulps of the red liquid. He patted Eric’s shoulder to let him know he had enough, hand coming up to catch a few drops off his chin.

“That- _oh wowie_ -that’s pretty good!” Tweek breathed out, genuinely surprised by the taste.

“If you want more, come find me!” Eric shouted as he moved back towards the stares. And-as he made his way back up the steps-he couldn’t help but watch as Tweek gulped more of the drink down.

It’s gonna hit him _hard_ considering there’s about a handle and a half of vodka in his jungle juice concoction tonight.

* * *

Craig didn’t really feel like drinking tonight. Besides, he drove here so he couldn’t drink _too much_. However, sitting in the hammock chair that Damien had in his room and sipping on a beer wasn’t a bad way to spend his evening.

“Dude, I feel like we need to join the party. We’ve been hiding out up here for like…an hour now.” Clyde chuckled, comfortably tipsy from whatever drink Cartman made him. Nichole was sitting in Token’s lap, playing with his hair as she was pretty buzzed from her drink.

“I’m just waiting for Tweek to finally find us.” Nichole giggled, Craig’s eyes widening slowly.

“Wait, _he’s here_?!”

“I thought you figured that when you saw me!” Nichole laughed, Token catching her before she tumbled off his lap.

“You’re here like every now and then though! I didn’t know-!”

“Yeah yeah yeah!” She motioned towards the door. “Last I saw him he was in the basement trying to find Pip! I think he found him…maybe…I dunno!”

Standing suddenly, Craig practically tumbled towards the door, head spinning a bit from the sudden sense of nervousness washing over him. He needed to sip on some water for sure, but he wasn’t too far gone from the drinks he had. There was just a slight pleasant tingle dancing up his fingertips. Looking down from the second floor towards the foyer area, Craig’s eyes scanned the crowd of people in search for a particular blonde.

The issue was there were _too many blondes in this school_.

“Mother fucker.” He grumbled, making his way down the stairs. A group of freshman girls rushed up to him once he was in the kitchen, nervous smile crossing his face as they giggled.

“Hi Craig!”

“You looked _so hot_ out there tonight!”

“You’re hot _all the time_!”

“They’re playing seven minutes in heaven downstairs!”

“Do you wanna check it out with me?”

“No! He’ll go with me!”

“No he won’t!”

Craig let out a nervous laugh as he opened the basement door, shouting in surprise as someone tumbled into him.

“Oopsie! My silly!”

“ _Tweek?!”_

His glasses were barely on his nose when he looked up, eyes squinting before he put them back into place. Once he realized it was Craig, a big grin crawled across his face.

“ _Craig!_ Oh my- _oh Jesus_ -how the hell have you been keeping?!” He giggled, vocabulary slurred and legs dragging as he tried to take another step forward.

“ _I’m fine_ , but _you_? How much have you had to drink, dude?” Craig tucked an arm under his shoulders, other arm tucking under his knees and scooping him up. There was no way Tweek could walk. He’s probably spent the past hour trying to get up the stairs!

“Just-Just two juicies! Two juicy cups! None of-of that no no juice!” He giggled, waving his empty solo cup around. But then he realized where he was, looking around as his world was upside down. So-lifting his head-Tweek blinked as he saw how _close_ he was to Craig.

Because Craig was carrying him like he weighed fucking nothing.

“That’s fucking Cartman’s jungle juice, Tweek! There’s like a handle and a half of vodka in that shit!” He groaned, making sure Tweek stayed above the crowd of people the best he could. Craig felt relieved in a way when he felt Tweek’s head rest against his shoulder, body growing heavy in his arms.

“I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t-didn’t know.” He hiccupped, sniffling a bit into Craig’s shirt.

“Hey-Hey Tweek, it’s alright,” Craig assured, adjusting him in his arms. “You didn’t know! He lied to you and that wasn’t right of him.”

“He-He’s a _meanie_!” Tweek whined, legs kicking slightly. _Well, he’s got some sentiment of life in him still._

“He is, you’re absolutely correct,” Craig chuckled. Finally-after what felt like forever-the fresh air hit their faces and that seemed to help Tweek wake up a bit. His eyes were still heavy, head lulling back and forth as he hiccupped again. “C’mon. I can take you home.”

“H-Home! I- _no_ -if my-they can’t see you!”

Craig froze, any little sentiment of a buzz leaving his body as he stared down at Tweek.

“ _Who_ can’t see me?”

“… _My parents_ …”

Craig felt his heart drop as he reached his truck, opening the back door and setting Tweek inside so he can lie down. The one guy he cares _so much for_ and wants nothing more than to get to know better…and his parents fell victim to the rumors in town about him.

Of course they fucking did.

“…Where am I taking you then Tweek?” Craig sighed out, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried not to get frustrated. It wasn’t Tweek’s fault his parents didn’t like him. Hell, Craig will admit it: he used to be a bit of a troublemaker. But people change- _he’s changed_ -and part of him wishes that the Tweak’s could see him now.

“Wendy-Wendy’s. P-Please they can’t-my parents c-can’t see me s’like this.” He slurred, eyes fighting to stay open at this point.

“Hey-Hey sit up, c’mon,” Craig tugged Tweek up by his arms rolling down the window with the handle before shutting the door. “Lean out the window while I go try and find Wendy okay? I want to let her know I’m taking you to her place.”

“Air is nice.” Was the only thing Tweek could think to say. His cheeks were so flushed, and his hair was sticking to his forehead from the cold sweat forming on his skin, so it was probably a _good_ thing that Craig rolled the window down. So-rushing back inside-Craig began his search for Wendy.

“Tucker, dude, c’mere I got-!”

“Why did you fucking give him so much to drink?!” Craig shouted, grabbing Cartman by the collar of his shirt.

“Hey whoa whoa! Who we talking about here, buddy, cause I’ve given a lot of people _a lot of drinks_.”

“Tweek, you fucking idiot! He’s never been drunk before, and you give him two big fucking cups of your fucking juice?!”

Eric let out a nervous laugh as he held his hands up in mock defense, head spinning from his own drinks he’s consumed.

“I’m sorry dude, I didn’t realize he was tight with you again!”

Craig grunted before tossing him back down into his chair, rolling his eyes as he moved to the kitchen. He grabbed a water for himself and two for Tweek, yelping when he felt hands on his arm.

“ _Tuuuuucker_!”

_Thank god it’s Bebe._

_“_ Hi Stevens,” He chuckled, looking around for the other girl usually seen with her. “Where’s Wendy?”

“Trying-Trying to get Damien and Pip to stop kissing long enough to ask where Tweek is,” She blinked. “Wait! Do _you_ know where Tweek is?!”

“He’s in my truck and he’s _really fucked up_. I was looking for her to- _wait_ , Damien and Pip finally kissed?!” He gasped. Bebe giggled before nodding her head, looking around before cupping a hand around Craig’s cheek.

“And I finally kissed Wendy.”

Craig blinked as he stared at the basement door, eyes widening a bit as he looked at her.

“You… _what_?”

“Dude, I’ve been trying to go after her for _years_. Ever since Stan and her broke up for the final time! Do you know how hard it is going after straight vagina? It’s so fucking difficult!”

“Bebe, are you a _lesbian_?”

“ _Duh_! What, was it not obvious?”

Craig shook his head, opening his mouth to say something else, but then Wendy busted out of the door with Damien and Pip not too far behind.

“Jesus, these two are _fucking insufferable right now_.”

“It’s my house, dumbass!” Damien grumbled as he walked by, Pip attached securely to his chest with his legs wrapped around his waist. He kept pressing kisses to Damien’s neck and jaw, giggles escaping his lips as he did so. Craig turned his head away, feeling like he was watching something private. A weird sense of jealousy settled into his stomach as well, jaw clenching to contain his emotions.

“I’m trying to find our friend and you can’t fucking tell me-!”

“Hey-Hey, it’s cool Wendy!” Bebe slid her arm around her waist, Craig watching how the shorter girl blushed at the touch. “Craig here has him in his truck and is gonna drive him to your place.”

“ _My place_! Perfect! My parents are pretty chill so-so if you just explain every thing they won’t mind taking him in. I know his parents are kinda tough on him when it comes to this stuff, more so his dad than his mom…”

“ _Yeah I figured_ ,” He grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Should they expect you or anyone else tonight since I’m playing messenger?”

“Tell them I’ll be back by midnight and-and that I’ll call them if I’m not sober by then. I’ve had one drink so I should be good to drive hopefully.”

Craig nibbled on his lip, fingers tapping against his side as he was hit was a thought from four years ago.

“ _Dad! Dad, wake up! Dad!”_

_“Kid, you gotta get back! Your dad is in critical condition!”_

_“That’s my dad, sir, please save him! DAD! DAD WAKE UP!”_

_“Kid, get back!”_

_“NO! You’re not fucking doing anything! I got here faster than you and-and my dad ISN’T MOVING!”_

_“We’re working on it, but we can’t help him if we have to stop and keep you back!”_

_“T-Then HURRY UP! DAD! FUCKING **HELP HIM!**_ ”

Sucking in a deep breath, Craig cleared his throat as he gave a tired smile.

“I can come back and get you in an hour. No worries. I’m sobered up now so I’d rather me drive than you taking any chances.”

Wendy blinked, blushing more as she felt Bebe squeeze her hip.

“Okay…thanks Craig. And thanks for taking Tweek!”

Watching them wander off towards the stairs-where he undoubtedly knows that’s where Damien and Pip went too-Craig made his way back outside. He gave a tired smile towards Tweek as he noticed the vomit on the ground and a little on the side of his truck, passing a water to the blonde once he reached him.

“I-I’m so sorry, I-!”

“Hey,” Craig’s voice was soft as he used a little bit of his water to clear off the side of his truck, pushing Tweek’s hair off his forehead. “You’re good, Tweek. Here,” Opening the passenger door, Craig grabbed a sweatshirt before rolling it up into the best pillow shape he could make. He helped Tweek get situated before tucking it under his head, making sure he drank some water before lying him down. “Just relax. I’ll drive slow, alright? I’m taking you to Wendy’s. She already knows you’re going there.”

“… _Thanks Craig_.”

“It’s alright,” He chuckled, ruffling his hair slightly before closing the door. “You just owe _me_ one now.” Tweek smiled tiredly at that, listening to Craig roll down the windows in his truck to get some fresh air going. And-as he started driving him towards Wendy’s-Tweek kept rather quiet. Not because he didn’t want to talk, but because he’d much rather stare at Craig.

He was so beautiful.

So so beautiful and so _kind_ and _so giving._

Tweek didn’t know much about Craig still after having not talked to him for nearly six years, but he felt like he knew everything he needed to know about him.

He knew everything he needed to know in order to confirm that Tweek still had a fat fucking crush on Craig Tucker.

It never went away. From the time it showed up when he was about nine years old, it never went away. Sure, there were other guys that he had interest in, but no one _ever_ touched Craig’s spot in his brain.

After about fifteen minutes, the truck came to a stop and Tweek didn’t want to say goodnight to Craig. He wanted to feel him against him again, but this time chest to chest instead of his side against Craig’s chest.

“Are we-where are we?”

“Wendy’s, you silly goose,” Craig snickered, tugging the back door open from the driver’s side. It faced the street while Tweek’s head on the passenger’s side faced Wendy’s house. “Now c’mon. You need to-”

“No, _you_ c’mon,” Tweek breathed out, tugging on Craig’s arm until he tumbled into the back of the truck with him.

“ _Hey-_ what are you-?!”

“C’mere big guy.”

Craig’s breath caught at the nickname, eyes immediately closing as Tweek’s fingers tangled into his hair.

It sent little sparks of arousal down his spine, Craig trying to make a split-second decision.

If he stays here, he runs the risk of someone finding them and he _doesn’t need that._

But if he doesn’t stay here, he gives Tweek the wrong idea! He might think Craig isn’t into him.

So-barely even thinking at this point-Craig stuck his leg out until his foot hooked over the window edge.

And with a quick jerk of his leg, the back door shut in time with Tweek leaning up and pressing his lips to Craig’s.

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK._

Everything in Craig’s body was on fire.

He wouldn’t admit it to Tweek right now-if _ever_ -but this was his first time kissing a guy.

First time kissing a guy and it’s _Tweek fucking Tweak_ and his _dick feels like it’s going to explode_.

The little noise of content that left Tweek’s throat made Craig’s mouth fall open in surprise, shaky breath passing his lips as he realzed he needed to _kiss back_. He clearly caught Tweek by surprise, the blonde beneath him gasping as he took his face in his hands.

“Your lips are soft.” Craig whispered between them, groaning into Tweek’s mouth as he kissed a little harder.

Tweek didn’t think this would happen, gasping as one of Craig’s hands lifted to grip onto the open window ledge behind his head.

_Oh fuck._

“Y-Yours are too,” Tweek tried to kiss back now, but his brain was spinning from the groan that left Craig’s mouth still and from the _very obvious erection_ jutting into his thigh. Swallowing hard, Tweek forced himself away as he let out a shaky breath, gripping at Craig’s shirt before he hiccupped. “M-My tummy hurts.”

Craig stared at Tweek for a moment before letting out a soft laugh, tucking his hair behind his ear once he sat up and off of him.

“C’mon,” Craig mumbled, adjusting himself in his pants quickly before opening the door once more. “You need to lie down.”

Tweek gave Craig a sad look before nodding, wrapping his arms around his neck as he felt Craig’s arms tuck under his legs and back again. As he was carried to the Testaburger’s front door, Tweek watched that beat up red pick-up truck get a little smaller.

He just kissed a guy.

He just kissed _a person_ for the very first time.

He was drunk for it, sure, but he would _definitely remember_ this kiss.

“Craig Tucker?”

“Evening Mr. Testaburger,” Craig chuckled, hitching Tweek up a bit more in his arms. “I’m delivering your faux son.” He teased, Mr. Testaburger laughing quietly as he stepped aside.

“Jesus, is he alright?”

“He’ll be fine! Just had a _smidgen_ too much tonight. Any place in particular you want me to put him?”

“Wendy’s room is fine. She’s down in the basement now. The pullout couch is already set for them, so you can put him there.”

Craig gave a nod of his head once the basement door was opened for him, Tweek’s eyes half closed at this point while he watched Craig’s face a little while longer. The mattress was so _comfortable_ right now, Tweek stretching as he let out a sigh.

“C’mere,” Craig mumbled, tugging Tweek’s shoes off and setting them aside. But-what Tweek _wasn’t_ expecting-was the very gentle, chaste kiss that was pressed to his lips. It wasn’t as heated as the one in the car, but there was still a sense of longing there. Once he pulled back, Craig tucked the blankets around Tweek carefully before taking his glasses off and setting them aside on the nearby end table. He crouched down, pressing one final gentle kiss to Tweek’s forehead as he stroked his hair for a moment. “…I’ll see you Monday.” And-no longer able to fight the exhaustion in his body-Tweek mumbled some goodbye as his eyes closed and Craig’s footsteps headed up the stairs. His stomach hurt still, but he couldn’t tell if he was going to throw up from the alcohol or from Craig’s affection. He couldn’t say anything to _anyone_ …but it was kind of a fun secret to have. He could hear talking upstairs, smile crossing his lips as he listened to Craig talk with Mr. Testaburger.

“Thanks for bringing him here. I’m glad there’s still guys like you that help your classmates when they need it.”

“It’s no problem, really. Tweek’s an old friend so I wanted to make sure he got somewhere safe. Wendy mentioned his parents could be… _tough_ at times.”

“That’s why I told those girls and boys that if they need a place to sleep after going to a party, our house was where they could go. Speaking of the others-”

“I’m actually gonna head back and pick up your daughter and Bebe. I figured I might as well be the designated driver of the evening since I’m sober.”

“Thank you. I’d say goodnight, but I know I’ll see you soon.”

Craig’s laughter was the last thing he heard, Tweek looking up at the window above Wendy’s bed when he heard his truck start. The headlights brightened the room only for a moment as he used the driveway to turn around, and-as they faded off-Tweek couldn’t help but grin as he curled in on himself.

His calculations _were_ right.

It was _at least_ eleven inches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I wasn't ~planning~ on them kissing this chapter (or so early on) but it felt,,,way too perfect to me? I know that's weird but it's true! Like,,,i dunno, but there's a method to my madness! This chapter is literally so fucking long it's almost 8,000 words, but I hope y'all liked it!!!! :) This au has been so fun so far and it seems that everyone else is enjoying it too! :) Hope you liked it and-as always-any and all feedback is appreciated! Until next time! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

Why did he kiss Tweek?

Why did Tweek _kiss him_?

Why did things have to be so _fucking complicated?_

Groaning into his pillow, Craig gripped his bedsheets and let out a shaky breath. His eyes still felt so heavy, considering he didn’t get home until nearly three am since _everyone_ who wanted to go home from Damien’s was shit faced drunk. Typically most people find a spot on the floor and curl up for the night, but-of course-some people wanted to try and make it home to the comfort of their own beds. And once word got out that Craig was driving people home, he had a bunch of drunk kids in his truck and in the bed of his truck making rounds through town to their homes.

Thankfully, it was Saturday and he could sleep as long as he wanted since his mother had off and didn’t need him to help with his dad in the morning. But-as luck would have it-he woke up around nine with a _raging_ erection that wasn’t going to let him go back to sleep.

“… _Fuck_.” Craig grumbled into his pillow. His dick _hurt_ that’s how hard he was, mind racing as he thought about Tweek. GOD why did he kiss back?! He should’ve told Tweek no-despite how _badly_ he wanted to kiss him-but Tweek was drunk! He should’ve done _a lot of things_ differently last night, but alas…

So-rolling onto his back-Craig let out a shaky breath while he tugged his sweatpants and underwear down enough until his cock sprung free. He hasn’t been this horny in a long time. Since his schedule is so busy, he usually just jerks off in the shower. It kills two birds with one stone and allows _some_ privacy. Their house was relatively small, and the walls left little to the imagination at times, but it seemed that everyone else was already awake and downstairs from what he could hear.

…Jerking off _wouldn’t hurt_.

Sighing softly, Craig let his fingertip smear the precum gathered on the tip, chest rising and falling a little heavier each time as his fingers wrapped carefully one by one around his cock.

“ _C’mere, big guy.”_

The fucking _desperation_ and desire in Tweek’s voice was haunting Craig. It’s all he could think about, all he could dream about, and all he really needed to think about to get off. He thought about what would’ve happened if they were somewhere more private, somewhere where Craig could pull Tweek’s pants down just enough to tease him and make him feel _so good_ before he slides his cock in him.

Somewhere Craig was safe from peering eyes and safe from any potential rumors being spread. Not that he was _ashamed_ to be seen with Tweek! But there was something kind of… _romantic_ and comforting about the secrecy of the situation. It didn’t take Craig long to realize that his hand wasn’t going to be enough _at all_. Nothing would ever really be enough unless it was actually having sex with a guy (well…having sex _with Tweek_ ), but maybe fucking into his pillow might suffice?

_It’s…it’s worth a shot?_

Nibbling on his lip, Craig rolled back over onto his stomach before grabbing his other pillow. He pushed it down under the covers with it settled near his thighs and hips. The slight brush of the pillowcase against his dick made him choke slightly on his breath. _Oh…Jesus I should’ve tried this sooner._

The friction was already way better than his hand, hips moving on instinct as he held his other pillow to his chest. His breathing grew rapid, chest heaving while his teeth bit at his forearm. Why was he acting like this? _One_ kiss and _this_ is how he’s gonna act? Like he’s never seen or touched another guy before? Like he’s going to fucking _die_ and will never get to have sex? Fingers twisting into the sheets again, Craig managed to muffle a groan in his forearm, hissing when he felt his canine tooth puncture the skin. It didn’t really bleed a lot, but he also hadn’t realized _just how hard he was biting himself._

…He kinda… _liked it_?

So he switched arms, grunting as he bit down once more and continued the steady back and forth rocking of his hips. All he saw were those beautiful blonde curls that Tweek had, his kind smile, beautiful eyes, cute little nose, plethora of freckles, the dip of his waist, those wide hips…thick thighs… _round ass._

“ _Mother fucker_.” Craig grunted out around his arm, biting down even harder until that familiar metallic taste of blood met his tongue. He didn’t care. If anything, it turned him on even more for some strange reason. His mind kept racing, creating lewd images of his friend while he fucked into his pillow more. Tweek had to look beautiful while he was getting fucked. Was Tweek even a virgin like him? _Jesus Christ I really don’t care at this point_. All he needed to do was think about Tweek’s _fucking face_ and what it might look like while he’s getting pumped full of dick and that was enough for Craig to cum. So-without warning-Craig choked in a gasp as he felt his orgasm hit him _hard_. Hips spazzing and struggling to fuck through his orgasm, Craig’s knuckles were white at this point from how hard he gripped the sheets. Once his body was spent, he collapsed to the mattress and gulped down air as if he’s never had it before.

That had to be the best orgasm he’s ever had, and he hasn’t even had sex yet.

After a few minutes of letting his racing heart calm down, Craig carefully pealed himself away from his bed and pillow. He grimaced as the pillowcase stuck to his stomach for a second, slowly pulling away before letting go entirely. He was… _gross_ , and so was his bed. A shower wouldn’t hurt, and he needs to do laundry anyways. After a quick rinse off in the shower, Craig dried his hair with a towel and pulled on a t-shirt and joggers before gathering his dirty laundry.

“Morning, sleepyhead!” His mom greeted him as he walked downstairs.

“Hey mom.” He chuckled, ducking down so she could press a kiss to his cheek.

“You got home rather late last night. Did you have a good time at Damien’s?” Thomas asked from his spot on the couch.

“Yeah! It was a good time. Drove some people home and just…hung out for a bit after.”

It wasn’t a total lie, but Craig didn’t feel like diving into all the details of his evening. He was still exhausted and coming down from the mind-blowing orgasm he had about fifteen minutes ago.

“Anything interesting happen? I feel like I haven’t seen you all week! You’ve been extra busy!” She laughed, nudging Craig’s side as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. Part of him wanted to spill _everything_. Part of him wanted to say, “ _Oh! Well now that you mention it, I made out with Tweek Tweak in the back of my truck after I drove him to Wendy Testaburger’s house. His parents don’t like me very much even though I haven’t been friends with him for some time now, but we’re growing friendly again after he rescued me from my disaster date earlier this week. Oh yeah! If you didn’t catch that, **I made out with Tweek Tweak in my truck last night and I’m a big fucking homo.”**_

But…alas: he did not.

The dramatics were a bit unnecessary at this time of day.

“Damien and Phillip kissed. That’s about it.”

Because he wouldn’t dare out Bebe Stevens when he couldn’t even out himself.

“Oh really?! Phillip is a nice boy. He always asks how you’re doing when he stops by the pharmacy,” Laura chuckled. “Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Craig blinked, mouth full of cereal as he spoke.

“Wh’t’s up?” He grumbled.

“I heard from Sheila Broflovski that you and Tweek Tweak have been hanging out more. Is that true?”

_God fucking…KYLE!_

“Yeah,” He forced a smile after he swallowed his food. “Yeah ever since he helped me out on my disaster date this week. Remember I told you that?”

“Oh, yes! That’s right!” Laura laughed. “Well I’m glad! He was always a pleasure to have over. So polite and sweet. Do you know if he’s seeing anyone?”

_Well…in an odd sense… **me.**_

“Nope,” A pause. “No one.”

Thomas looked over as he stood up, leaning on the crutch he had as he did so.

“Tweek’s a nice boy, but _damn_ his father is stern. I remember him in high school, too! He was such an ornery guy and so fun, so it’s a shame to see him be so tough on his kid who is nothing like him.”

“Mr. Tweak was like that?” Craig asked. This was… _news_ to say the least.

“Absolutely! You wouldn’t think it looking at him, but his parents were tough on him, so I’m surprised he’s that way with Tweek. See, my parents were tough on me, but I promised myself that I didn’t need to parent that way because it just…drove a wedge between my parents and I the older I got,” He ruffled Craig’s drying hair as he walked past him, chuckling as his son pushed his hand away. “Besides! I don’t gotta worry about you. You’re a good kid, Craig. But _your sister_ on the other hand…”

“ _DAD!”_ Tricia whined from the recliner, Craig snickering at her reaction. He stood to put his dish in the sink, blinking when he noticed the slight pained look on his dad’s face.

“You okay, dad?”

“Yeah yeah! Just…little extra pain today.”

Craig nodded his head slowly, nibbling on his lip as he hummed in his throat. Despite being relatively healthy, Thomas had his days where everything just… _hurt_. He only had one arm crutch similar to Jimmy’s to help him move around and not put so much weight on his legs, but they could only handle so much before his body started to give up on him. The only thing he can do when that happens is fight through it, take it easy, and take pain relievers along with his medication. 

“C’mon. Let’s go out back and do your physical therapy. Maybe that’ll help you.”

“Why out back?’ Thomas laughed.

“Because,” Craig held the door open for him, trailing behind him once the door shut behind him. “I’ll do it with you today.”

And-as Laura cleaned the window that was overtop the sink-she couldn’t help but smile as she watched her men stretch and do exercises out back.

She was the luckiest woman in the world despite everything life has tossed her way.

* * *

“Hi.”

It was Monday and Craig found himself in a similar situation as he did on Friday. Tweek was standing by his locker as he gathered the things he needed for his first four classes, Craig blinking before shutting the metal door.

“Hey.”

“Um…l-listen…I-I’m sorry for… _Friday_.”

“Tweek, everyone was pretty much drunk. You don’t have to-”

“I’m not-!” Tweek blinked as he realized he was yelling a bit, cheeks hot and a pretty red as he held onto his books a little tighter. “I-I’m not…talking about… _that_.”

Craig sucked in a deep breath through his nose, letting it out slowly as he looked around. The hallway was noisy and filled with students, but Craig can whisper.

So-ducking down by Tweek’s ear-he let his thoughts out.

“If you’re talking about the kiss…it’s fine.”

Tweek turned his head now to whisper back into Craig’s ear.

“I-I just-it was my _first kiss_ and I was fucking _drunk for it_ and I just-I feel bad! I dunno, I think I was feeling lonely after seeing Phillip with Damien and I just- _fuck_ -i-it won’t happen again and I’m _so so sorry!”_

Craig stared straight ahead as he listened to Tweek, huff of air passing his lips before he straightened his back. A chuckle rumbled his chest, ruffling Tweek’s hair as he slung an arm around his shoulder to guide them towards first period.

“Don’t sweat it Tweek,” _Please fucking kiss me again. I want to kiss you forever. It was my first kiss too in a way since I’ve never kissed a guy before. I am SO touch starved and that’s why I can’t keep my fucking hands off you and have to touch you in so many different ways because it makes me feel so GOOD and ALIVE!_ “I understand completely.”

“Oh! Well…that’s good,” _I wanna kiss you more. I wanna experience fucking EVERYTHING with you because I know it will drive my father nuts. The thought of bringing you home while he’s busy at the shop and having you do whatever you would like to me makes me so horny and so happy at the same time. You haven’t left my mind once in seven years and I finally got a taste and I need more._ “I hope you got a chance to read the book over the weekend! I’m interested to see what your thoughts are today at book club.”

Craig nearly passed out on the spot, because in his deliriously horny haze over the weekend, he COMPLETELY FORGOT that he told Tweek he’d go to his book club on Monday AND that means he had to READ THE BOOK…which he DID NOT do!

“Oh yeah! Totally! Can’t-can’t wait!” He laughed out nervously. Tweek shot him a smile before moving towards the front of the classroom as they arrived, Craig slumping in his seat and rummaging in his backpack for the copy Tweek gave him. It sat unopened still, Craig nibbling on his lip as he started to skim the pages. It wasn’t very long-thank goodness-but there was _no way_ Craig was going to finish this by 2:50 this afternoon!

So-being a man of his word-Craig did the best he fucking could throughout the day. And his best… _wasn’t very much_.

Second period he didn’t have a chance to read since he had a test.

Third period he had a science lab.

Fourth period he only got to read for about ten minutes after he finished working on a group project in history.

Fifth period was lunch, so he had a little bit more time to read there, but he had to eat! He’s a growing boy!

Sixth period was gym, so that was a no go.

Seventh period was photography, so once he got a few shots for an assignment that he liked, he spent the last twenty minutes reading.

And then eight period he got to read a decent amount since they had a substitute and he tossed a movie on, but only got to page 100 by 2:40. So-for the last few minutes he had in that class-he skimmed the last 100 or so pages he had left.

He didn’t want to disappoint Tweek. Time just escaped him this weekend and his brain was in the fucking horny abyss, so there was _no way_ he was going to get through this book over the weekend!

But-as he approached the library after gathering his things from his locker-everything…was worth it. Sure, he had to go to practice at 3:30 and couldn’t stay the whole time, but the look on Tweek’s face when he entered the library?

Absolutely fucking priceless.

“Jesus Christ, it’s Craig Tucker.” Bebe laughed, look of disbelief on her face. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Craig, she just never thought a guy like Craig would show up to their little book club.

“Nice to see you too?” Craig asked with a smile, taking the only empty seat available to the left of Tweek. The blonde let out a giggle as he practically vibrated in his seat out of excitement.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What time do I gotta give you back to the football players by?”

“I gotta be ready and on the field by three thirty, so our time is relatively short.”

“No worries! We can talk about _plenty_ of things in that time!”

Despite being somewhat hesitant to talk, the flow of the conversation between the friends wasn’t awkward. It had a natural back and forth that made it easy for Craig to jump in at times (whenever he could, considering he “finished” the book only fifteen minutes prior). But-at about 3:15, Wendy rolled her eyes before motioning to the window that looked into the library from the hall.

“We got fangirls.”

Craig blinked, looking up towards the window and feeling his face flush red as about a group of ten girls giggled and waved towards him. Tweek couldn’t help but scoff under his breath as Craig waved back, sheepish smile on his face as he did so.

But…despite the feeling of jealousy in his stomach, Tweek remembered that Craig Tucker _kissed him_ over the weekend. Not any of these girls, but him.

Sure, Tweek _initiated_ the kiss in a _drunken haze_ , but the point still stands! Tweek got to kiss one of the most popular guys in school and he _kissed back!_

His shoulders deflated slightly-however-when he remembered the all very important fact that Craig was still very much in the closet.

_No worries, Tweek! Maybe one day you two can be together happily…right? Because…he HAS to be interested in you considering the way he’s been acting lately! He kissed BACK! That means something! Right?! Yeah! Right!_

“Tweek?”

“ _Ah!”_ Tweek jumped at the hand on his shoulder, Craig giving him a small smile as he looked down. “O-Oh! What’s up?”

“I _ah_ …had a nice time talking about this book, but I should get going since I gotta get changed for practice…”

“Oh! Right-right yeah,” Tweek’s eyes darted towards the window, the girls still taking turns looking in to catch a glimpse at the man oh so close to him. “T-Thanks again for coming. It seems like my idea worked, huh?” He teased, motioning towards the window.

“They will more than likely follow me to the locker room, so I’ll tell them I come on Mondays before practice.”

Tweek blinked, sucking in a deep breath.

“Wait-wait you wanna come back?”

“Sure,” Craig said with a shrug. “I don’t read much anymore, so maybe this is a good way for me to start doing that,” He held the copy of the book out that Tweek gave him. “Here.”

“No,” Tweek pushed the book back towards Craig. “Keep it. I-I got plenty.” He assured, smiling up at Craig. Blinking a few times, Craig hummed before grabbing his backpack, putting the book safely inside before heading towards the library door.

“Until next time, ladies and Tweek!”

“Bye Craig!” They all said in unison, well…all except Tweek. The lingering touch of Craig’s hand on his shoulder left him feeling tingles all over, breath shaky as he tried to ignore the way Craig had two girls on each arm and six more following behind him by the time he was out of sight in the hallway.

“Talk about a hunk.” Wendy chuckled.

“W-What?” The sound of someone referring to Craig as a _hunk_ brought Tweek back down to reality, cheeks a dark shade of pink by now.

“You heard me! He’s a _hunk_ and you’ve been fawning an awful lot over him lately.”

“I-I have not! We just-we ran into each other last week and started talking and-and just grew a little closer, is all! May I remind you we _used_ to be best friends!”

The girls all gave one another a knowing look, giggling a bit before Nichole shrugged.

“Alright! Whatever you say Tweek. But…we just don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

“Why would I get hurt?”

“Honey, he’s straight,” Bebe said sternly. “Besides, I heard a rumor that after he dropped us all off Friday, he took some sophomore home and fucked her every which way.”

Tweek felt his stomach drop, trying not to show any signs of disappoint.

“He…really?”

“Oh yeah! Doggy, cowgirl, _reverse_ cowgirl, held her against the wall, bent over the kitchen island, bondage, spanking, choking, the whole nine yards! Her parents were away so it made it easy!”

Tweek swallowed hard as the girls continued on, mind foggy as he tried to think of every possible way this was false. It had to be! There was _no way_ Craig was doing all that! Tweek didn’t even know what cowgirl even fucking _meant_! Craig was gay. He knew that. He admitted it! So why would he take a girl home? Well, he doesn’t _know_ if this is true! It has to be fake, has to be! Craig has been so _flirty_ with him, and even though he’s in the closet, that doesn’t make him any less gay!

All these thoughts and more kept running through Tweek’s mind, everyone eventually filtering out to head home, but Tweek stopped to linger by the football field. He leaned against the fence, watching the guys until they wrapped up at around five. He could pick Craig out easily, standing about a head taller than the rest of the guys (except for Damien, who was only a few inches shorter).

_God, I need to relax._

Before making his way to his car, Tweek went back into the school as the football players left the field, going to a nearby bathroom and splashing some water on his face. _God_ he was being so naïve! Maybe Nichole was right: he _should_ be careful. Considering that Craig has made no indication that he’s interested in Tweek, he’s just going to end up hurt in the long run. But…Craig _did_ kind of give him an indication.

Craig kissed him back.

He kissed him back and moaned into his mouth and Tweek _felt his boner-_

“ _Fuuuuck_ ,” Tweek groaned, splashing more cold water up on his face. He let the water run a little more, the sound comforting him as he gripped the edge of the porcelain sink. “ _You’re being so fucking stupid, Tweek. C’mon, dude, you can’t…you can’t get your hopes up_.”

“And why’s that?”

Tweek’s eyes flew open at the set of hands settling on his hips, whimper instinctively leaving his lips as he heard Craig’s voice.

“W-What are you doing here?”

“I saw you watching the last little bit of practice,” The sensation of lips against the top of his spine made Tweek stand up a little straighter. “Saw your car in the parking lot still so I figured you were in here somewhere.”

“W-Why did you come and find me?”

“Because,” Craig turned the water off, spinning Tweek around until he was pinned against the sink. “I like hanging out with you.”

He smelled of sweat mixed with whatever cologne he used to freshen up, but Tweek’s head was _swimming_ with possibilities as he let his hands settle on Craig’s chest.

“Friends don’t just…don’t just pin their friends against the sink l-like this.” Tweek whispered between them. He made sure to listen for footsteps in the hallway.

“I know,” A pause, Craig ducking down so his lips were by Tweek’s ear. “They don’t make out in the back of trucks either, but… _we did that_.”

His legs felt like jelly, thankful Craig had an iron grip on his hips to keep him upright as a soft little moan left Tweek’s lips.

“You- _you’re being risky_.” Tweek warned, face hot as he felt Craig nibble at his ear lobe.

“You’re right,” Sliding his hands under Tweek’s thighs, Craig lifted Tweek carefully and moved them into the nearby stall and locking the door behind him. It was a tight squeeze, but with Craig sitting on the toilet and Tweek flush against him on his lap, they made it work. “Now _this_ is better.” He chuckled. Craig’s lips started kissing at Tweek’s neck, sucking at a few spots in an effort to test the waters.

“Hey-hey what- _aaah!_ -what are you-?!”

“Tweek, I don’t fucking care that you kissed me on Friday,” Craig’s voice was hushed, but also slightly lower in tone due to the hormones running absolutely _wild_ through his body. “When you said you wouldn’t let it happen again… _fuck_ , I thought I was gonna fucking _die_. Kissing you- _fuck_ -kissing you made me feel so fucking alive and I want nothing more than-than to feel that _again and again_ and I know you’re the only one that can make me feel that way.”

Tweek wrapped his arms tightly around Craig’s neck, gasping and letting out a breathy whine as he felt Craig’s erection rubbing up against his own. _When did I get hard?!_

“Y-you-but you- _nnng_ -you’re just-!”

“Just _what_?”

“You’re just being nice! L-Like what- _God_ -what are we _doing?_ I-I was drunk and- _”_

Craig blinked up at Tweek, fingertips twisting into the fabric of his shirt more as he tried to get closer someway somehow. He smiled a bit as Tweek just sighed, cutting himself off and leaning against Craig more.

“…Tweek, I was stone cold sober when I kissed you,” A pause. “I-I know…this is odd to admit now, but there’s just… _something about you_ that has got you in my mind all the fucking time and-and I’m not _ready_ to be out yet because-”

“You don’t have to keep explaining yourself to me,” Tweek whispered, stomach lurching as he pressed a tentative kiss to Craig’s neck. “You’re not ready to come out and that’s _fine_ , Craig. It…it’s just nice to know you think about me, too,” But then Tweek remembered something. “But…um…I-I gotta ask you a question.”

“What’s up?”

“Um… _ah Jesus,_ did you-?”

“Dude, you totally fucked up that last play!”

Tweek tried not to yelp in surprise when he recognized Cartman’s voice, the sound of two other sets of footsteps trailing behind.

“I didn’t, Cartman, your dumbass just can’t block to save his life!”

“I can fucking too!” Cartman groaned, Tweek wincing with Craig as they heard zippers pull down. “Oh! Dudes missed a banging party at Thorns on Friday.”

“I’m so fucking mad I couldn’t go! My mom wanted to go to stupid fucking Applebees to celebrate the win. Like thanks but I’d rather hang with you guys.”

“Did you hear that Thorn and Pip fucking hooked up?!” Cartman laughed in disbelief. Tweek stared at Craig with big eyes, his hands coming up to hold Craig’s face in his hands. He wasn’t sure why that was his reaction to this news, but it just…made him want to be closer to Craig in every shape and form.

“Fucking really?! I’m surprised Damien stooped so low as to sleep with that whore.” The third guy chimed in. It made Tweek’s blood boil hearing him say that.

“Nah Kevin! Thorn mentioned to someone apparently that he was pretty tight, so he _had_ to have been a virgin!”

“I don’t fucking believe Damien Thorn _one bit!”_

“Well what about Bebe and Wendy supposedly hooking up?!” Cartman gasped, smacking one guy on the arm.

“They’re _lesbians_?!” The two guys said in unisons.

“It isn’t confirmed, but I heard that they were seen sneaking upstairs during the party not long after Damien and Pip went up.”

Craig nibbled on his lip as he listened, because _technically_ it was true.

But you’d never hear a peep out of him on the situation.

“ _God_ two of the hottest girls in school are potentially _lesbians_. I can’t tell if I wanna watch, get invited for a threesome, or be disappointed.”

“EW that’s fucking-GROW UP, Brendan!”

Craig grimaced as he realized who was with Cartman. It was two sophomore guys that were on the offensive line with him and they so happened to look up to him in some odd way.

“Wanna know what I heard?” Jason said. Just by the tone of voice he used, Tweek knew he had a smug look on his face. 

“How’d you hear anything if you weren’t even at the fucking party?” Cartman groaned, washing his hands… _finally_.

“I heard from someone that Tucker’s a fag.”

Tweek’s eyes widened at the statement, slowly moving down to look at Craig’s face. He seemed paler in color; eyes also wide as he stared straight ahead over Tweek’s shoulder.

“What?! _Craig Tucker_! Nah dude! I heard he bagged some sophomore. Fucked her like five times in one night!” Cartman gasped.

“Nah that girl was full of shit!” Brendan laughed. “I heard he took some kid to a friend’s house and he screwed him in his truck. No one knows who the guy is, though.”

“Listen, I’ve known Craig Tucker for _a long time,_ and he _is not_ gay.” Cartman defended, but Kevin let out a soft laugh.

“You sure about that? All his friends are homos. Thorn. McCormick. He’s been hanging around Pirrup more. Donovan’s got bicurious written all over him.”

Cartman scoffed, grabbing his football bag off the floor where he set it.

“Kevin, just because your friends are gay, doesn’t mean _you’re gay_. Trust me, I learned that a _long time ago_. It doesn’t rub off on you or whatever!”

“I know THAT but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was screwing one of them or letting one of them screw him. No one has actually confirmed any of the rumors involving him being some big Playboy.”

“Dudes, you just gotta stick with me and I’ll get you all the information you need to know! We should ask around more about that one, Kevin. Maybe see if we can confirm if Tucker _did_ hook up with a guy and the rumors about his Playboy status.”

The conversation drifted off down the hall as the three left the bathroom, Tweek finally swallowing the lump in his throat and moving a thumb over Craig’s cheek. The movement made him jump, sucking in a deep breath through his nose as he looked at the blonde still perched on his lap.

“C-Craig, I-I swear I didn’t-!”

“No, I know…I know,” Craig brought his hands up to Tweek’s face, leaning their foreheads together and letting out a shaky breath. “I know you didn’t say anything to anyone. I know that.”

“What-what do we do?”

“More what do _I_ do…” Craig muttered, lips still moving slowly past Tweek’s. Every little touch made the blonde in his lap whine, eyes closing once more as Tweek gripped at the back of Craig’s shirt.

“I-I’ll stop hanging around…less-less gay guys around you t-to make it less suspicious. Besides, I-I’ve been super clingy and-and-!”

The desperate whine that left Tweek’s throat was a sound Craig wanted to remember forever, head tilting on instinct to deepen their kiss. It wasn’t exactly private, but it was private enough as Craig’s tongue practically licked at the inside of Tweek’s mouth. He could tell Tweek was inexperienced, but _boy_ was he trying, and that made Craig’s hips buck up slightly. Tweek tried hard to keep up with the pace, head moving along with Craig’s in the opposite direction and fingers gripping so hard at his shirt, he was afraid the fabric would rip.

“Listen to me,” Craig growled out between kisses, arm wrapping protectively around his waist. “Let them think I’m fucking gay. It’ll make the whole coming out thing _a lot easier_ in the long run. I don’t fucking care right now what anyone thinks. All I care about is-is getting closer to you and reconnecting after all this time apart. You’re so _wonderful_ and-and I want to be more like you.”

“ _Like me?”_

“Yes! You’re so unapologetically _you_ and I-I just-I admire that about you, Tweek, and it kills me that you don’t know that I think this about you!”

Tweek pulled back finally to give Craig’s face a good look, his eyebrows turned up in a slight worried expression and lips swollen and red from kissing.

It made his stomach lurch with desire.

“I…Craig, you take as much time as you need. I-I’ll…I’ll wait for you…if that’s okay…”

“More than okay,” Craig smiled as he leaned his forehead against Tweek’s once more, thumb brushing over his cheek. “That’s _wonderful_.”

They kissed a little slower that time, Tweek asking a few questions and Craig providing the answers that he could. After they finally left the stall, Craig opted to walk Tweek to his car in the back parking lot since it was getting dark out.

And-on his way out to finally head home-Coach Taylor of the football team caught sight of his fullback talking to some blonde guy. It was comical the size difference between them, but he couldn’t help but smile at the way Craig seemed to be looking at this guy as he spoke.

He looked… _smitten as all hell._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu  
> I'm so glad y'all are enjoying this story!  
> Sorry for any mistakes by the way! I didn't proof read because I'm falling asleep, but I'll go back and edit in the morning I PROMISE! Hope y'all enjoyed this ~crazy chapter~ and until next time!! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

A little over a month has passed now and Craig kept his word to come to book club each Monday before practice. Did he always read the book? No. But he tried to read as much as he could over the weekend and during his overnight shifts. The overnight shifts thing never really worked out because the next day, anything he read wasn’t contained due to how _tired_ he was. At least Tweek’s plan worked, a handful of girls joining the book club… _just to be close to Craig._ Most only came on Mondays and left not long after he did, but there were some that stuck around the whole time and came back each time they met.

It was about halfway through the week and it was a cool October afternoon, Tweek sitting in the bleachers with the girls doing some homework while the cheerleaders and football players practiced.

“Who do you guys think is gonna win Homecoming king and queen?” Bebe eventually asked, wiggling her pencil back and forth between her thumb and middle finger.

“Well-if the girls in book club have anything to do with it-Craig’s a shoo-in for king.” Nichole laughed, stretching her arms above her head.

“I dunno. Something tells me _you_ and Token are gonna win.” Tweek giggled.

“ _Us?!_ No fucking way. Could you imagine us winning?! Not a fat chance.”

“It isn’t farfetched,” Wendy chimed in. “Think about it! You two have been a popular couple for two years now, you’re seniors, and you’re both _hot_!”

Nichole leaned against the palm of her hand, sheepish smile on her face as she let out a soft laugh.

“I…didn’t think of it like that.”

“You got my vote.” Tweek said with a smile, but he turned to look down at the field after he finished talking. He watched as the football players ran a play, his eyes watching the ball cross the sky and land in Damien’s arms. Leaning his head against his knees, Tweek let out a soft sigh of content as he saw Craig approach Damien, his hand slapping against his back in congratulations.

“WHOA TWEEK!” Bebe suddenly exclaimed, grabbing his turtleneck and tugging it down to expose the aggressive hickey on his neck. “Who have YOU been necking with, dude?!”

Tweek yelled in surprise, tugging his head back to try and get her to let go. But all it did was expose the hickies on the front of his neck, eyes widening as he watched the girls’ face light up.

“ _Tweek!”_ Nichole gasped, finger reaching out and touching a particularly dark mark.

“Hey-hey knock it off!” He whined, finally getting the fabric of his sweater out of Bebe’s hands and his neck covered once more.

“Have you been seeing someone without telling us?!” Wendy giggled, leaning in a little closer to try and peek at his neck again.

“N-No! I-I mean- _yes_ -I mean-it’s complicated!” Tweek choked out.

“Does Pip know about him?!”

“No! N-No one knows! It-you can’t _say nothing!”_

Bebe groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Why? Is he a _bad boy_ that your father will kill if he finds out you’ve been seeing him?”

The girls all giggled a bit at Bebe’s remark, Tweek feeling his face heat up as he pushed his turtleneck around his neck more to hide the marks.

“…He isn’t out yet…”

The laughter quieted down after that, Bebe’s eyes softening as she frowned.

“Tweek I…I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“No, it’s okay! I-I’m not mad at you guys just…I feel bad for him is all. He’s been going through so much inner… _turmoil_ and-and internalized homophobia. I just want him happy. Even-even if he’s happy with someone that isn’t _me_.”

Nichole smiled a bit, giving Tweek’s hand a squeeze as he heard him sniffle a bit.

“You must care an awful lot about this guy if you want him to be happy even if it isn’t with you.”

Giving her a soft smile, Tweek just gave a nod of his head.

“Yeah,” A pause. “He’s… _everything_ to me.”

They diverted the conversation away from the current topic so Tweek didn’t have to keep explaining himself, the group discussing potential homecoming plans and if they were even gonna go or not. Before they knew it, Pip joined them and talked about the latest with him and Damien. After the night they kissed (and Pip confirmed that yes: he hooked up with him), Pip and Damien started hanging out more just the two of them to see if the connection between them was still there while sober.

It one _thousand_ percent was.

Damien officially asked him to be his boyfriend a few weeks ago and Pip was still floating on his own personal cloud. The rumors about him steadily faded, but of course there were still a few. But it often involved some sort of escapade involving Damien now, so he didn’t let them get to him _too much_. It was nice having the companionship of another man and it fueled his self-esteem like no tomorrow.

The football players eventually started making their way to the locker rooms, Pip standing with a smile and grabbing his things.

“I’m gonna go say hi to Damie. Does anyone wanna come down?”

“I’ll come! I feel like I haven’t seen Token in like a week since I’ve been so busy.” Nichole said with a smile.

“I should get going.” Wendy said with a sigh, stretching her back after standing.

“Me too. Mom’s making her famous meatloaf for dinner and I cannot _wait_.” Bebe rubbed at her stomach as she spoke, dreamy smile on her face as she thought about her dinner.

“I-I’ll come down. I gotta go that way to get to my car so…” Tweek said nervously, the three of them waving goodbye to Wendy and Bebe before heading down to catch the football players. Token was waiting for Nichole near the bottom of the bleachers while Pip ran off and met Damien about halfway.

It made Tweek’s jaw clench in jealousy.

Sure, he had his own little thing going on with Craig…but they weren’t _dating_.

They weren’t dating and they weren’t anything other than friends.

It was starting to haunt him a bit.

“Hey.”

Tweek gasped as he realized there was another set of feet by his, following the long legs up to settle on Craig’s face.

He had such a pleasant smile.

“H-Hi…”

“You alright?”

“Yeah! Yeah just…i-it’s nothing. Um…how are ya?!”

“Good,” Craig smiled a little wider. “Did you enjoy the practice?”

“Yeah! It was-you guys looked great,” But then Tweek suddenly had an idea that made him smile. “Remember how you still owe me one more thing?”

Craig chuckled as his hands grabbed the neck of his shoulder pads, helmet hitting against the padding gently. In an odd way, it was a pleasant sound to Tweek.

“I thought you forgot about that. It’s been almost a month and a half since that horrible, _horrible_ date.”

Tweek let out a laugh, noticing everyone trickling away at this point until they were left alone. The silence was deafening, but it was oddly romantic.

“I didn’t. I was just holding onto it for something really good,” He giggled. “But…can you come to the coffee shop tomorrow?”

“… _That’s it_?”

“My dad has been… _annoying_ lately about the lack of customers. If you come, consider your debts written off!”

Craig chuckled as he looked at his feet, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

He couldn’t afford to buy a cup of coffee…but he had some change lying around his truck and room.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can swing by after practice. I like to go for a cooldown run in the evenings, so I’ll change my route up a bit to go by the shop.”

Face heating up at the thought of Craig in workout attire, Tweek let out a breathless laugh as he scratched at the side of his neck.

“O-Okay! Okay, yeah!”

“ _Ooo_ your neck looks rough,” Craig _tsked_ quietly, pushing the fabric down to admire his handy work. “Do I gotta beat up the guy that did this to you?”

Tweek giggled as Craig’s thumb brushed over the sensitive skin, hand coming up and wrapping around his wrist.

“I dunno. He’s pretty big and tough and strong, so I don’t think you’ll be able to handle him.”

Craig gasped, feigning hurt as he grabbed the back of Tweek’s neck and tugged him a little closer. The sound of his laughter made his heart and stomach flutter pleasantly.

“I can handle _anybody_ that dares lay a finger on you,” He muttered, Tweek laughing a little more as Craig slung his arm around his shoulder. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to your car.”

Tweek nodded his head, leaning into Craig’s side since no one was around.

“Thanks Craig.”

They didn’t say much on the way to Tweek’s car, but they didn’t need to. There was an understanding between them that the silence wasn’t awkward but it was-in an odd way-comforting. Once they reached Tweek’s car, Craig tugged the door open for him and tucked a hand under his chin.

“C’mere,” He grumbled, ducking down and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Was it risky? Of course. But…he didn’t care. He could barely go a _day_ without kissing Tweek now. Once he pulled away, the utter look of surprise on Tweek’s face made him smile. “I’ll call you later tonight?”

Tweek just nodded, eyes slightly wide as he let out a shaky breath.

“Y-Yeah…yeah okay.” He whispered back to Craig, soft giggle passing his lips. Craig waited until Tweek was out of sight before he walked back to the locker rooms. There were only a few guys left at this point, Craig nodding to them as they patted his back once they passed. As he took his padding and jersey off, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched. He chuckled to himself, putting everything in his locker before tugging his undershirt over his head.

“You’re not very subtle, coach.”

Coach Taylor laughed quietly from where he stood leaning against the lockers, arms crossed over his chest.

“Neither are you.”

Craig blinked, standing up slowly and looking at him over his shoulder.

“What are you talking about?”

Pushing up off the locker, Coach Taylor shrugged his shoulders, hands in his pockets as he walked over.

“You don’t have a girlfriend, do you Craig?”

“No. But why is that important?”

“When guys on the team get a new girlfriend-or in some cases-a _boyfriend_ ,” Craig’s jaw clenched, Coach noticing that. “Their performance on the field drops during the honeymoon phase. Thorn made only two catches tonight out of the seven that were tossed to him, and he’s dating that little blonde cheerleader now.”

“What does that have to do with me?!”

Coach held his hands up in mock defense, small smile on his face.

“Hold on now, Tucker, let me finish.”

Craig grunted before grabbing his bag, making is way over towards the showers to splash some water on his face.

“There’s nothing to talk about, coach!”

Coach Taylor rolled his eyes a bit, following Craig over towards the showers. He quickly turned the shower on, cold water hitting his hand before he turned and grabbed the collar of Craig’s t-shirt he had put on. He heard him gasp in surprise, shout passing his lips as the cold water met his skin.

“There is Tucker, because your performance is just as bad as Thorn’s lately! I can’t have both my starting fullbacks _fucking up plays_ like this when y’all haven’t done this before!”

“What the fuck is w-wrong with you?!” Craig shouted, teeth clattering due to the cold water. His hair stuck to his face and t-shirt to his chest, his hands pushing his hair out of his eyes before continuing on. “I-I’m fucking up, so you toss me i-in a cold shower!”

“I tossed you in here because you’re not being fucking honest with me! Tucker, I’ve been coaching you for _four years_ and you’ve come to me to talk about a lot of things! I know when something is off with you and _something_ is off with-”

“NOTHING is off! You’re fucking imagining-!”

“Oh, I’m _imagining_ things?! I’m imagining you dropping the ball during plays you haven’t dropped the ball in before?! I’m imagining you getting fucking _sacked_ by Donovan time after time during scrimmages?! I’m imagining you spending more and more time with that little blonde boy that runs the book club in the library?!”

Craig’s chest was heaving as frustration and anger bubbled inside of him. But-somewhere in his mind-something finally snapped and clicked into place for him.

“Y-You want the fucking truth?! You want the FUCKING TRUTH?! I-I’m fucking tired _all the time_ b-because I work three nights a week o-overnight from eleven to seven to help my family out! I-I moved to the so-called _bad side of town_ w-when I was fourteen after my dad almost fucking DIED a-after a car accident! I _ran_ to the scene. I _ran and I fucking RAN_ just to see my dad DEAD on the ground! He was dead f-for five minutes! FIVE MINUTES, COACH! A-And it took them f-five to bring him back! He can’t fucking walk right! He can’t w-work because of it and my m-mom is forced to work two jobs to help make ends meet! So that’s where I come in! And-and now I-I’m reconnecting with an old friend in _different ways_ and-and I-I can’t be fucking _honest with myself_ and a-admit that I’m GAY! I-I’m _so gay_ , b-but I’m _so scared to admit that!_ I-I’m in _love_ with him! _I fucking love him_! I-I always have! Ever since I saw him at the eighth-grade dance! B-But I-I don’t _know_ if it’s actually love I-I’m feeling! B-Because _how can I fucking love someone when I don’t even love who I am?!”_

Coach Taylor watched as one of his toughest players completely _shattered_ in front of him, sobs wracking his body as he curled in more and more on himself the more he talked. And-as the final words left his mouth-Coach Taylor dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Craig. And Craig held on like he hasn’t had a hug in five years, sobbing into his shoulder with each one coming out broken due to his yelling. The water was freezing, but Coach didn’t care.

“It’s alright, it’s okay, you’re alright,” He reached above them, turning the water off and holding Craig a little tighter. “You had to grow up too fast, too soon. I’m sorry about your father- _I really am_ -because I know what people say in this town about you and I defend you _each and every fucking time_. And _look at me_ ,” Coach pulled back and tucked a hand under Craig’s chin, so he really understood everything he was saying. “You being gay changes absolutely _nothing_ about you as a person and your character. You’re _still_ Craig Tucker: fullback, student, son, _a young man._ You are a _giving_ person. You give and you give and you _give_ until you’ve left nothing for yourself. You love this kid, you love your family, you love your friends, but you haven’t left _any_ _love_ for yourself.”

“H-How can I leave some for me w-when there’s s-so much to worry about?” Craig choked out, sniffling before wiping the tears and water off his cheeks with the palms of his hands.

“I know a lot of things, but I can’t give you all the answers. There are somethings you just have to figure out along the way. You’ll struggle at times, but that’s why there are others in your life to support you. You’re a fucking _wonderful young man_ , Craig, and the fact you’ve kept all of this information quiet and private for so long speaks volumes about you as a person. Because I see you lifting others up when you’ve obviously needed someone to do the same for you. You’re _strong_ , Craig. You’re strong and talented and smart and I just _know_ you’re going to do such great things in life. The fact that you’re _gay_ doesn’t change my opinions about you. Because I _like_ seeing you so happy. You’re a reserved guy and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so _wide_ as I do when I see you with that kid.”

Craig let out a shaky laugh, giving a nod of his head before leaning his forehead against Coach’s shoulder.

“T-Thank you… _thank you so much.”_

“I’m _always_ here, Craig. And if home becomes too much and you need somewhere to stay to just get a break, you know where my wife and I are.”

“T-Thank you. Thank you,” Craig let out a shaky breath. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

Coach Taylor chuckled, patting his shoulder a few times before helping him stand.

“Get home safe, okay? Do you feel better?”

“Yeah…yeah a little. Definitely helped,” Craig muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh! And…it’s Tweek.”

Coach looked over his shoulder as he started walking to go grab his things from his office, small smirk on his face.

“ _What’s_ Tweek?”

Craig felt his face heat up, but a smile was still present on his lips.

“That blonde kid…his name’s Tweek…and he’s… _everything.”_

* * *

God, he hated math.

He hated homework in general, but particularly math homework.

Tweek was terrible at math.

It’s hilarious because he was doing relatively well in physics-which required a lot of math-but when it came to _actual_ math class?

Nah, that wasn’t happening.

“You’re still working on that math homework?” Mary asked, looking over Tweek’s shoulder at his notebook.

“Mom, you know I’m terrible at math.” He chuckled.

“Even after working the register all these years? And counting inventory?” She teased.

“Yes: even after all these years.”

It was about six and the shop was getting ready to close up within the hour. It was empty except for the Tweak family and two other high schoolers working on homework together, but this was about as busy as it got lately. Business hasn’t been… _great_ , but it wasn’t _bad._ With school kicking back up, a lot of parents aren’t going to get coffee as often since they’re making it at home while their kids get ready for school. The football games on Fridays take away a lot of clientele as well, so the shop closes around five right before the games start around seven to give the Tweak’s some time to relax before watching it on TV or going.

But the bell clinked lightly above the door, Tweek feeling his face heat up as he saw Craig wandering in. He gave Tweek a bright smile, cheeks a little red from his run.

_Oh…his RUN!_

Tweek finally took in Craig’s outfit, breath shaky as he never realized just how _fit_ Craig was. Especially when he used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and he could see his abs.

_Oh god oh fuck he has ABS._

“Hi-Hi Craig.” He eventually squeaked out, grin on his face as he curled a piece of hair around his finger. He liked the way Craig’s eyes gave him a quick look over as he did that.

“Hi Tweek.” He said back, chuckling as Tweek jumped up and rushed behind the counter.

“What- _ah_ -what can I-?”

“Did I hear the bell-?”

Tweek stiffened as his dad came out from the back, feeling his presence suddenly beside him. He didn’t plan for this. His dad is usually so busy with counting the end of day inventory or doing dishes or counting one of the registers. He’s usually doing _anything_ but working the front of house!

“D-Dad, it’s okay! I got-”

“Craig Tucker.”

Craig straightened his back a bit more at the use of his full name, giving a curt nod of his head.

“Mr. Tweak.”

“Didn’t think I’d see you again after you and Tweek stopped hanging out.”

“Well we started hanging out again, so…” Craig rubbed the back of his neck, grabbing the hair tie holding his hair in place and letting it fall out. Tweek tried not to gasp too audibly considering his father was right there, but something about Craig in thin work out attire, sweaty still from his run, and hair down now… _God_ what a fucking hunk, as Wendy would say.

“Don’t remember your hair being that long.” Richard remarked, Craig grimacing slightly considering _everyone_ always asks about his hair.

“Don’t really got the time to get it cut.”

“Don’t got the time or don’t _want_ to?”

“… _Both_.” Craig said between his teeth now. He needs to get on Richard Tweak’s good side at _some point_ , but he’s making it really fucking difficult.

“Dad,” Tweek forced a smile, stepping a little closer so he could speak between his teeth. “ _You are…embarrassing me.”_

“I’m _what?”_

“ _You heard me, father, now please go before I burst into flames.”_

Richard grumbled under his breath before giving Craig one last look up and down, speaking as he headed towards the back of house doors.

“You’re mopping his sweat up once you’re done, Tweek.”

“ _I’ll fucking lick it up if I have to_ ,” Tweek grumbled to himself, but blinked as he realized Craig was right there. “W-Wait- _oh shit_ -you didn’t-!”

“Yes, I did, but it’s okay,” Craig laughed, leaning a little closer to Tweek. “ _I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t something I haven’t thought about you doing_.”

Ever since his little talk with Coach yesterday, Craig has felt a new wave of confidence that he noticed in his football playing _and_ in the way he talked with Tweek last night. They’ve had little nightly phone calls that Craig has loved. He even went out and bought a cheap landline he could keep in his room so that way he could just call Tweek and lie in bed. It was the best financial decision he’s made in a long time.

“ _Craig_ ,” Tweek breathed out, cheeks a light shade of pink as he smacked his arm. “What do you want?”

“Do you got iced tea?”

“We’re a coffee shop, silly,” Tweek giggled. “You want iced tea from a coffee shop?”

“I just ran _five miles_ and I need something to refresh me. I dunno if coffee will do that right now.” He laughed, watching as Tweek grabbed a cup.

“What flavor?”

“Whatcha got?”

“Black, green, raspberry, peach, and mint.”

“Ooo. What do you recommend?” Craig leaned against the counter, watching Tweek move about behind the line.

“I like to mix the mint with either black or green. Mint alone is rather strong but is nice and refreshing with a mix of one of those two teas.” 

“Hmmm,” Craig tapped his chin as he thought, giving a nod once he made his decision. “How about mint and green then.”

“Sounds good,” Tweek giggled, mixing the two teas in a separate cup before pouring it into Craig’s. He slid the iced tea over towards him and happily accepted the coins and crumpled up dollar that Craig placed in his hands. “No bills lying around, Tucker?”

“I don’t get paid until tomorrow and I didn’t have much cash lying around.”

“Spent it all on pizza with the guys?”

Tweek had no clue of his financial situation, and Craig wanted to keep it that way for a while. He wouldn’t mind sharing eventually, but he just…wasn’t ready to divulge all that personal detail quite yet.

“Yeah,” He lied. “Pizza and booze,” He took a sip of the iced tea, sighing around the straw as it was _definitely_ refreshing. “Good recommendation.”

“Thanks! I’m tryna convince my dad to let me add it to the menu and it’ll be called Tweek’s Twisted Tea!” He giggled, the excitement in his eyes making Craig nearly melt on the spot.

“What’re you doing Saturday?”

Tweek blinked at the sudden question. It was such a quick subject change that he was in no way expecting.

“Um…going shopping with the girls in the afternoon. W-Why?”

“…Wanna go on a date?”

Tweek gasped quietly, looking behind him to make sure his dad suddenly didn’t reappear before leaning closer.

“ _A date?”_

“Yeah,” He took a sip of his tea, lips smacking once he pulled away. “A date.”

“Like…what kind of date?”

“A cute one.”

“What does that mean?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course!”

“Then don’t worry about it,” Craig chuckled, giving Tweek’s hand a squeeze before standing upright. “I gotta head back since my mom said dinner was at six thirty…what time is it anyways?”

Tweek looked at the little iPad they use to ring up transactions, pursing his lips as he tried to fight back a smile.

“Six twenty.”

“ _Mother fu-_ I’m like fifteen minutes away!” Craig grumbled between his teeth, rushing towards the door. “I’ll talk to you later!”

Tweek laughed as he walked out behind the counter to the door, walking out front to watch Craig run in the direction of his home. He eventually left his line of sight, and as Tweek walked back inside to help his parents close up shop, he couldn’t shake Craig from his mind.

He had a date on Saturday.

A date with _Craig_!

* * *

Tweek knew nothing about this date.

He didn’t care though, considering the person taking him out on a date was _Craig Tucker_. He didn’t tell his parents about this, instead telling him that he was going to Wendy’s to hang out. When Tweek called Wendy to tell her of his little plan, she happily agreed to cover for him while he went out to see his “ _mystery boo”_ as the girls have started calling Craig. They agreed for Craig to pick him up about a block from Tweek’s house so Richard wouldn’t see Craig pull up, and as Tweek walked to meet Craig, his stomach did excited- _and nervous-_ flips. His mind still wondered just _what exactly Craig and him are_ , but honestly? Tweek didn’t mind the way their relationship has progressed. The secrecy was nice because it was less questions from his parents about Craig, but it also deflated his excitement that he couldn’t kiss Craig good morning in the hall or hold his hand in between classes or wear his football jersey on Friday’s like he saw Pip do last week.

Craig was already there waiting for him, Tweek wrapping his arms around himself as a breeze kicked up. Autumn was starting to settle in now-which was great!-but boy it made for some chilly nights.

“Hi Craig!” He giggled as he approached the open window, gasping a bit as he tugged the door open and saw flowers on the seat. “A-Are…are these for-?”

“Yes, they’re for you, beautiful,” Craig laughed quietly, leaning over and pressing a kiss to the blonde’s cheek. “And hello.”

Tweek sniffed the beautiful roses as Craig pulled off, face hot as the ghost of Craig’s gentle kiss made his face tingle.

“You didn’t have to do this!”

“I got paid yesterday, so I didn’t have to rummage around my room and truck for change,” He laughed, grabbing Tweek’s hand once at a red light. He took the opportunity to really look Tweek over, shaky breath passing his lips. “ _…Fuck,_ you look…immaculate.”

Tweek wore a lavender colored sweater, the sleeves near the bottom puffed out before sitting snug against his wrists. His pants looked to be black slacks, but they were softer and seemed a little more comfortable with six silver buttons on each hip. They tucked into black boots that Craig would never be able to pull off but wouldn’t mind trying at least.

“Y-You’re complimenting me a lot.” Tweek breathed out, tucking a curl behind his ear and pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Because you deserve to be told you’re beautiful, Tweek. And I mean it,” Craig looked forward once more when the light turned green, thumb rubbing over the blonde’s knuckles as he kept hold of his hand. “You’re so _fucking beautiful_.”

Tweek took in Craig’s outfit as he drove, chest swelling at the burnt orange flannel that had red mixed in with it and a pair of jeans and Converse. He can’t remember seeing Craig in anything other than athleisure wear at school, so this was _definitely_ a nice surprise.

“And you’re handsome.” Tweek whispered, head leaning back against the headrest to stare at Craig. They fell silent for a while, saving the conversation for their date. The first stop was a little convenience store in town that sold pretty much anything and everything, Craig getting a sandwich, bag of chips, and iced tea while Tweek got a panini, his own bag of chips, and a bottle of cranberry juice. After they got their dinner, they drove about ten more minutes to Stark’s Pond, Craig making sure the bed of his truck faced the lake. There were lamps surrounding the lake that were starting to flicker on as the sun started setting, both boys hopping out with their bags of food.

“Not so fast,” Craig said with a grin, patting the side of his truck. “Hop in the back.” Tweek blinked at Craig before everything connected in his head, eyes widening as he dropped the back little gate on the bed of the truck to show a thick layer of blankets, some pillows, and a little stuffed animal among the pillows.

“C-Craig!” Tweek gasped in disbelief, grin on his face as he was helped up into the bed of the truck. “Craig, this-this is so _sweet!”_ Tweek sat by the stuffed animal, holding it to his chest with a giggle. It was a little round bat that was _super soft and round_ and so nice to cuddle.

“Do you like him?” Craig chuckled crawling up to sit by Tweek.

“ _Like him_? I _love_ him! He’s so cute!”

“I remember you had this _obsession_ with bats. I think you said it was because you couldn’t sleep, and they were always there keeping you company until you could fall asleep.”

Tweek blinked as he listened to Craig, eyes widening a bit as he looked up from the soft little pillow animal he was holding onto.

“You…y-you remembered that?”

“…Tweek, I remember _so much_ about our time as friends. More than you probably realize.” Craig admitted with a sheepish smile. Tweek leaned over to press a kiss to Craig’s cheek, smiling against his skin before sitting back.

“ _Thank you_.” He giggled, hugging the stuffed bat before he started digging around in his plastic bag to find his sandwich. Craig did the same, propping a pillow up to lean against while he ate. Their conversation was so _fucking lively_ , Tweek laughing more times than he thinks he ever has in one sitting and Craig couldn’t stop the butterflies from scraping at the inside of his stomach. After they had a belly full of food and minds full of ungodly thoughts, Craig laid himself down and pushed a few layers of the blankets down to crawl under once he took his shoes off.

“C’mere.” Craig muttered, Tweek taking his shoes off and setting them next to Craig’s. The blonde let out a few soft giggles, head resting on Craig’s chest and arm draping over his stomach. The feeling of the blankets settling around him made him melt against Craig. He never thought-in _a million years_ -that he would be lying here with a guy like this. But this wasn’t just any guy: it was _Craig Tucker._

“Do you know what you do to me, Craig Tucker?”

Craig hummed as he looked up at the stars, fingers playing with Tweek’s curls while he did so.

“Why don’t you tell me?”

Tweek smiled, cheek nuzzling more into the flannel against his cheek before speaking.

“You make my heart beat so hard that I’m afraid it’s going to bust out of my chest. My fingertips tingle after you brush against them in the hall when you pass me on your way to lunch and I’m going to math. Math is my worst subject! Maybe it’s because I can’t hold my fucking pencil after you touch my hand since my fingers feel like they’re asleep!” Craig let out a soft laugh at that, bringing Tweek’s hand up to settle over his heart.

“You feel that?” Tweek nodded slowly. “That’s what you do to me. You make my heart pound just as hard as I make yours and you know what else you do? You make me _so fucking hard_ ,” Tweek let out a laugh at that, head tossing back as he covered his mouth. Craig just smiled, leaning his forehead against Tweek’s and moving himself down to be face to face with him. “Don’t laugh because it’s true! You make me feel so fucking _good_ and just-just _thinking_ about you drives me fucking _crazy_.”

Tweek’s face heated up at the compliment, snuggling against Craig more and wrapping the blankets tighter around them.

“I-I’ve been- _ah_ -rather h-horny myself lately. I just-all of our little meet ups after y-your practice…you-you’re always just-just so-”

“Rough?” Craig mumbled, hands running down Tweek’s sides to settle on his ass. It made the blonde yelp a bit, breathless moan passing his lips. He didn’t mean for that to happen- _God no_ -and Tweek opened his mouth to detest the sound, but- “Because after tackling a bunch of big, sweaty men for two hours, all I want to do is feel you _under me_ while I grind myself against you.”

Tweek sucked in a deep breath at the remark, eyes closing before pressing his lips lightly against Craig’s. There was no use in talking considering all his brain was screaming at him to do was kiss, feel, _moan_. God, he fell apart so _easily_ because of Craig. He couldn’t fucking help it! Something about Craig Tucker made him so weak and he’s never been able to figure out what it is.

Part of him likes to think it’s the fact that his father would have a cow if he saw him right here right now.

It just made Tweek grin slowly as he ran a hand up under Craig’s shirt.

“Thank you…for tonight.”

Craig hummed as he rolled them over, pushing his hair out of his face with a smile as he hovered above Tweek.

“I wanted to show you rather than tell you just _how much_ I love spending time with you.”

Tweek gave a small nod of his head, bringing his hands up and pressing the tips of his fingertips together.

“U-Um…this is a _stupid question_ but… _oh how do I say it…_ if-if you were… _out…_ would-would we be-?”

“Boyfriends?”

Tweek blinked before a nervous laugh passed his lips.

“Oh- _ah_ -well _yeah_.”

Craig smiled while looking Tweek’s face up and down.

“Would that make you happy?”

“… _Ecstatic_.”

“Then yes…we’d be boyfriends.”

Tweek blinked, eyes so wide and full of hope as he looked at Craig.

“W-Wait… _really_?”

“I like making you happy, so if that makes you happy, of course.”

“But…do you like _me?”_

Craig nibbled on his lip as he ran a finger down Tweek’s chest, grabbing the fabric of his sweater and tugging on it until it untucked from his pants.

“Something like that.”

“W-What…what does that mean?”

Craig just smiled now, hand sliding up under Tweek’s sweater.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Pressing his lips back against Tweek’s, both sighed quietly into the kiss as Craig settled on top of Tweek. It was a little more heated this time, Craig’s head tilting and licking at Tweek’s bottom lip while Tweek tangled his fingers into Craig’s hair. It felt so good to be this close, to be somewhat _public_ and kissing like this. His skin was suddenly too hot, Tweek pulling his lips away enough to speak.

“C-Can- _oh God_ -can we take our shirts off?”

Craig blinked before pulling back a bit to look at Tweek.

“I’m fine with that.”

“You- _oh_.”

“What?”

“Nothing!” Tweek squeaked out, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and lifting it over his head. Once he finally got it off over his head, he couldn’t help but gawk as Craig shrugged his flannel off.

He wasn’t sure why, but Tweek’s legs spread on instinct to rest on either side of Craig.

Tweek knew Craig had muscles because of football and how often he worked out, but he didn’t think he’d be _all fucking muscle_!

“You okay?” Craig asked, but gasped as Tweek’s cold fingers grabbed at his pecs.

“Y-You got-you have like- _god fuck your chest_.”

Craig grabbed his wrists suddenly, chuckling as he used one hand to hold both of Tweek’s hands above his head.

_Oh Jesus, Mary, and Joseph._

_“_ You’re acting like you’ve never seen another man shirtless before.”

“I-I haven’t!”

“Yes, you have, guys run shirtless all the time.”

“S-Sure, but I’ve never seen a guy shirtless in _this_ situation.”

Craig used his other hand to stroke lightly over Tweek’s cheek, pressing their lips together and reveling in the soft sounds that came from Tweek.

“It’s okay…I got you.”

Each kiss continued to light a fire within Tweek, hormones raging as he met Craig’s movements with his hips. The friction was so fantastic. He needed to do _something_ , so-shaking his hands free-Tweek dragged his fingernails down Craig’s back. _Fuck_ his back had so much _definition_!

The sensation must’ve been good, considering Craig’s eyes flew open and his lips faltered against his.

“W-Was that-?”

“ _Again_.” Craig demanded, Tweek nodding his head quickly before he dragged his fingernails down his back once more. It shouldn’t be _allowed_ for one person to exude such _sex appeal_ and attractiveness in one simple motion, but Craig did just that with the way his hips rolled down and with the sound that just left his mouth. It was a little higher in tone, but still deep in his throat and so _breathy_.

“ _O-Oh wowie.”_ Tweek whispered to himself, head tilting up to catch Craig’s lips with his. Making out with Craig was quickly becoming one of his favorite things, but-as much as he enjoys lying under him-they’ve been here for a little over an hour now and his back as getting sore from the bed of the truck. Sure, there were a lot of blankets to cushion him, but they only went so far in resisting the movements of a very horny eighteen-year-old football player.

“ _Fuck_ , you make me feel so-so fucking _alive_.” Craig grumbled against Tweek’s lips. The blonde choked on a moan when Craig lightly pinched at one of his nipples, lips attaching to the other. 

“I-I feel the same,” A pause. “B-But… _oh Jesus I-I can’t believe I’m saying t-this_ , but d-do you wanna come back to my place?”

This was interesting.

Craig slowly lifted his head up from Tweek’s chest, eyes a little wide and lips a beautiful red form kissing.

“Doesn’t your dad like…hate me?”

“Yes…well, _no_ -but-yes?”

“Besides, I’m not out yet, Tweek.” Craig said with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice.

“Who said you’re gonna see him?”

It took a second, but Tweek giggled as he could practically see the little lightbulb form above Craig’s head.

“Are you planning on sneaking me in?” He whispered, Tweek laughing quietly as he wrapped his arms around Craig’s neck.

“If you think you can be quiet enough.”

“Oh, anything to curl up with you in _your bed_.”

So-after a few more kisses-they put their respective shirts back on, threw their trash out, and folded up the blankets in the back. They put the blankets and pillows in Craig’s back seat while Tweek opted to hold onto the stuffed bat for the ride home. Once again, the conversation was relatively light-if anything at all-but neither person seemed to mind as they enjoyed the quietness of the town around them and each other’s presence. Once they were parked about a block from Tweek’s, they walked side by side until they were two houses away.

“I’ll open my window for you as soon as I can, alright?”

“I gotta go through your window?!”

“Well, it looks like they’re still _awake_ , so _yes!”_

Rolling his eyes, Craig bit back a small smile and gave a nod before moving to the side of the Tweak’s house while Tweek walked inside.

“Oh! You’re back rather early from Wendy’s.” Mary said with a smile.

“She wasn’t feeling too well today and just wanted to get some sleep.” Tweek said with a shrug, smile on his face as he moved towards the kitchen.

“So, you brought her germs into our home?” Richard teased.

“Dad, I’m _gay_ , it’s not like I’m making out with Wendy.” He laughed, trying to ignore the way his brain immediately thought of Craig at the mere mention of _making out_.

“I know,” He chuckled, noticing the tired look on his son’s face. “You seem pretty beat, too. Sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Yeah!” Tweek felt his heart drop as he saw his reflection in the window, sizable hickey poking out at the top of his sweater a bit. He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, holding it against his neck to hide it. “Just feeling a little flushed. I might go lie down for a bit, maybe just go to bed a little early.”

“Take an extra water up, sweetie, you should stay hydrated!” Mary said with a smile.

Although Tweek grew _slightly suspicious_ , he gave a nod anyways and grabbed another water bottle out of the fridge at his mom’s request.

“Okay,” He walked by still holding the water bottle to his neck, watching his parents for a moment and how they seemed more focused on the TV anyways than him. “Night guys.”

“Night Tweek.” They said in unison.

Once upstairs, Tweek shuffled down the hall to this room. After he kicked his shoes off, he tossed his window open and poked his head out.

“You out there?” He whispered just loud enough for someone to hear if they were nearby.

“I’m right here.”

Tweek let out a shout as Craig sat on a branch of a nearby tree, eyes widening a bit as he heard movement downstairs. Thankfully, his dad never investigated why he shouted. _Probably just assumed I startled myself…_

“C’mon then.” Tweek breathed out, taking Craig’s hand and helping him into his room. The football player took a moment to look around, humming as he observed the way it has changed since he was last here about seven years ago.

It was no longer a pale blue, but a darker yellow that paired well with his comforter that had a cute peach design on it. His desk was cluttered, but rather organized compared to what it used to be. Not as many posters on his walls, but enough that Craig gathered new information on his favorite shows and movies. Two bookshelves _filled_ with books, Craig smiling as he realized they were organized by color.

“By color, huh? Surprised you don’t have these all organized by author.”

“Considered it,” Tweek chuckled, plugging in the string lights he had around the room before turning the overhead lights off. “C’mere…I-I just…I wanna cuddle.”

Craig blinked as he felt Tweek’s arms wrap around him from behind, chuckling before toeing his shoes off. Silently, they both undressed before they were left in their underwear. It was strangely intimate, considering neither had seen one another shirtless until only an hour ago. But-considering Craig planned on sleeping here-he might as well get comfortable. Tweek chose to lie down on the outside spot of the bed, leaving Craig the side that was against the wall. He didn’t mind. It just meant he was that much closer to Tweek. Lying on his back, Craig lifted his arm and let Tweek get situated before he ran his fingertips up and down his spine.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” Craig whispered after a while, Tweek’s eyes closing before shaking his head.

“I don’t think I am,” A pause. “And I don’t know why _you_ think I am.”

“For a lot of reasons, actually,” Craig chuckled, making sure to keep his voice hushed. “Your personality is addicting to be around, your smile is infectious, your eyes crinkle if you smile too much, your freckles accentuate everything about you, when you push your glasses up you always look so bashful and cute, and when you just… _exist_ …it makes the world just a little brighter…each and every day.”

Tweek sniffled quietly once Craig finished talking, snuggling closer as he whimpered a bit.

“T-That’s… _so nice_.”

“You just…make me _so happy_ …and there are things I want to tell you…but I’m just not ready to share them with anyone…but just know that you make my darker days so much better.”

Tweek nodded his head again, thumb sweeping back and forth against Craig’s stomach.

“And you make me feel… _alive_.”

They talked quietly for about another hour, Craig eventually calling home to let his mom know he’ll be home tomorrow and was staying at a friend’s house to finish a group project. They even fooled around some more, Tweek getting off on the fact his father was _so close_ and had no idea he was making out with _Craig Tucker in his underwear_ right above him.

It was around midnight when exhaustion finally settled in, but it was the best god damn sleep Craig has had in a long time.

For the first time in about a _year_ , he knew he’d wake up feeling refreshed and oh so alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am once again asking you to forgive any grammatical errors since i'm uploading with no editing OOPS  
> but i hope y'all liked this chapterrrr!  
> a little bit of a dive into Craig's ~trauma~ and his relationship with his coach and some growth in his relationship with Tweek! Woo hoo! Any and all feedback is appreciated and-as always-until next time!! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

“Tweek! C’mon, kiddo, get up we’re going to church today!”

The sudden knock on the door made both Tweek and Craig jolt awake, Tweek holding on tighter to Craig while Craig pushed himself up off his stomach just in case he had to dart out the window. Sleep etched their faces as Tweek let out a groan of frustration, face nuzzling against Craig’s neck before they laid back down after hearing Richard’s footsteps go downstairs.

“Don’t wanna move.” Tweek muttered, placing sleepy kisses to Craig’s throat and neck. He felt his throat vibrate against his lips, the sensation making Tweek smile.

“I don’t either,” Craig mumbled into blonde curls, pulling Tweek closer someway somehow before stretching his legs out. “But I also do not want to have your father find out I slept under his roof last night.”

Tweek chuckled a bit at the remark, ignoring the way Craig’s morning voice made his spine tingle with desire. They didn’t do anything more than grinding and making out the night before, but Tweek felt like he was on cloud nine waking up next to Craig like this. His heart was hammering from how _warm_ Craig was and how he seemed to refuse to let him go despite his words. But-suddenly-Tweek was _very awake._

_“Craig…is-are you-?”_

“Sorry,” He chuckled, but made no efforts to move his erection away from Tweek’s leg. “That happens sometimes.”

“Yeah when we’re like…younger!” Tweek giggled out.

“I beg to differ. It can happen at _any age_. Morning wood is fucking natural.” He defended, smile crossing his lips before ducking down to press some lazy kisses against Tweek’s cheek.

“I-I guess I’m just…not used to a-another guy being in my bed, is all.” He whispered, Craig nuzzling his nose into Tweek’s cheek after he kissed it a few times.

“I’m not either, but that’s okay.”

There was another knock on the door, both boys jumping up when Richard tried to turn the knob. _Thankfully,_ Tweek had locked it the night before.

“Are you up, Tweek?!”

“ _Yes_ dad! _God_ I’ll be ready in ten minutes!” Tweek shouted, but immediately frowned as he saw Craig getting dressed. “Do you have to go?”

“Considering your father tried to walk in here _and_ you said you’d be ready in ten minutes: yes,” He pressed a quick kiss to Tweek’s lips, the blonde’s lips barely puckered by the time he pulled away. “Who knows! My parents sometimes drag us to church still, so maybe today will be one of those days.”

Tweek watched Craig for a little longer before standing up off his bed, hugging him from behind and humming in content. He squished his face up against his back, Craig’s laughter rumbling his cheek.

“If I don’t see you at church, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Maybe, or maybe I’ll sneak back in later for some of your kisses.”

The comment made Tweek’s face heat up as Craig pulled away, the blonde waving to him while he watched Craig scale the tree.

“Wait!” Tweek called out in a hushed tone. “The flowers and bat are in your truck.”

“I’ll bring them either later or tomorrow, alright?”

Tweek pouted but nodded before Craig turned to head towards his truck a block away. It was a chilly morning in South Park, and Craig couldn’t help but shiver slightly as the early morning sun did nothing to help warm him up. He turned the heat on once he got in his truck, holding his hands up to the vent while thinking about the past twelve hours or so. Suddenly, Craig blinked as he looked down at his crotch, gasping as he realized he was still hard.

He was just in bed with Tweek.

And did… _absolutely nothing about it._

…Maybe he _should_ go to church today.

Thankfully, the problem resolved itself on the way home and Craig greeted his parents with a kiss on the cheek and Tricia by ruffling her hair.

“Did you guys get a lot of working done on the project?” Laura asked.

“Project?”

She blinked; eyebrows furrowed after she took a sip of coffee.

“Isn’t that why you spent the night at your friend’s house? To work on-”

“YES! Yes that-yes. Correct.” He COMPLETELY forgot his own lie. How could he be so _STUPID?!_

“Still not awake, huh?” Thomas laughed, standing carefully while leaning on his crutch.

“Yeah. Was up late finishing up this damn presentation.” Craig chuckled while grabbing an apple.

“How would y’all feel about going to church today?” Laura asked suddenly, Craig’s ears perking up at the mention of _church_.

“Yes!” He cleared his throat, taking a bite of his apple. “Yeah that-that sounds good.”

Tricia furrowed her brows, looking up from her phone for the first time since Craig’s been home.

“Since when do _you_ want to go to church?”

“Since I took a bite of this apple. It’s _just so good_. Hallelujah, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.” Craig formed a cross of his chest with his hands, taking another bite of his apple for emphasis afterwards. Thomas let out a laugh, rolling his eyes before smacking Craig’s leg with his crutch.

“Shut the fuck up,” He chuckled, looking at Laura. “If that’s what you want, honey. Besides, aren’t they serving their monthly after-service brunch today?”

Laura was already halfway upstairs, grin on her face as she spoke while running to her room.

“Why do you think I want to go so badly?! Free mimosas!”

* * *

Craig had to admit: the church offering an after-service brunch once a month was a great idea. For one, they got a free meal and didn’t have to use any of their limited groceries at home or have to spend money. It also seemed to help the church’s numbers, so it’s a win-win for everyone. So-now in their Sunday best-the Tucker’s made their way into the church that was slowly filling up with South Park’s residences. They spent a little bit of time chatting with the Marsh’s and a little with the McCormick’s, but everyone found their place at around nine when they saw Father Maxi take his place at the front.

It was all a bunch of bullshit, in Craig’s opinion. Was there a higher being? Maybe. But he didn’t necessarily believe in a _God._ The only time he turned to religion was when his father was dead on the road, and he hasn’t gone back to it since. He can still remember exactly what he said.

“ _Fuck-I mean-God? Christ, what the fuck-dammit!-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! That’s my dad! Please **please** don’t take him from us. Don’t take him from ME. Don’t take him from my sister, my MOM! I-I can’t be the man of the house, not yet. I-I just turned fourteen a month ago I-I need-I need my dad to teach me things still I’m not ready yet! P-Please just-JUST FUCKING FIX THIS, GOD, FIX THIS!” _

Craig gasped quietly when his dad elbowed his side, sitting up a little straighter as he realized he was slouching. But that wasn’t why Thomas elbowed him.

“Someone’s trying to get your attention across the way.” He whispered to Craig, blue eyes blinking before looking across at the other pews. A familiar freckled face was smiling at him from across the aisle, hand coming up and waving a shy little wave. Craig gave a wave back, glancing back at his family for a moment before turning back to look at Tweek. Slowly, he mouthed something to him.

“ _You look pretty.”_

It took Tweek a moment to make out what Craig was mouthing to him, but when it connected in his brain, Tweek swore he felt it short circuit. He glanced down at his outfit, knee length long red skirt (that his dad barely let him leave in), white turtleneck sweater, and a pair of white ankle boots. Letting out a shaky breath, Tweek’s face turned a pretty shade of pink as he tucked a curl behind his ear. He finally mouthed something back.

“ _Thank you. You look handsome.”_

Now it was Craig’s turn to blush, dopey smile crossing his face when he realized what he said. Opening his mouth to say something else, Craig’s breath left his body when he saw Richard Tweak’s head move. He quickly looked forward to the front of the church, Tweek blinking as he saw him look away. The elbow to his side made Tweek gasp, looking up at his dad who was giving him a stern look.

“What are you doing?” He whispered, Tweek’s cheeks puffing out in frustration.

“Nothing, dad, Jesus.”

“ _Not in church_ ,” He hissed. “Quit staring at him, Tweek, you know he’s trouble.”

“He _isn’t_ , dad, you’re just mean.”

“ _Tweek-”_ Richard cut himself off when he felt Mary’s hand on his thigh, looking over to notice the stern look she was giving him. Sighing, Richard looked at Tweek once more. “We’ll talk _later_.”

Well…that took the wind out of his sails. Sighing a little aggressively for emphasis, Tweek slid down in the pew and crossed his arms over his chest. He tried to be more discreate when stealing glances at Craig, but it was difficult when it seemed like his dad’s eyes were burning holes into his head. After what felt like the longest hour of sneaking glances and a bunch of mumbo jumbo, Tweek let out a huff of air as everyone stood up to head out to the parking lot for the brunch. The crowd was thick, but he knew he’d find Craig eventually. Besides, he was hungry and wouldn’t mind some of that brunch. They waited in line with the other church goers, Tweek rocking back and forth on his feet as he killed time by looking down at his phone. He blinked when he got a text from Bebe in their group chat, face heating up when he read it.

_Tweek, my buddy my dude my guy, Craig’s staring you down HARD right now. My dude may be straight but DAMN_

He didn’t even know Bebe was here, but he wasn’t too worried about finding her right now. They had plans later anyways to all hang out, so for now he tried to find Craig in the sea of people. His phone buzzed once more, looking down to see a text from Nichole.

_Probably because he hasn’t seen him in a skirt before LOL looking cute today Tweek!!_

Tweek felt his breath catch when he finally found Craig, phone continuing to buzz in his hand as his dad tugged him forward when the line moved up.

Craig’s eyes seemed so dark, full of _something_ that Tweek hasn’t quite seen before. Then they did something subtle, something that Tweek barely caught before having to turn his head forward: they darted towards the church.

Once Tweek got his small plate of food, he turned back to try and find Craig, but to no avail. He wasn’t where he was prior, but then he remembered his eyes. So-looking at the church-Tweek managed to just catch him walking back into the building, stomach doing a flip of excitement as he _finally_ understood what Craig was trying to say: go back inside and meet him there!

“Hey, are you guys gonna be out here for a bit?” Tweek asked suddenly, Mary blinking as she took a bite of her bagel.

“Yes! I wanted to catch up with the Testaburgers since I haven’t seen them in a bit.”

“Do you mind if I go eat with the girls?” Richard gave him a skeptical look, which only resulted in Tweek rolling his eyes. “Dad, I’m not going to see Craig,” _Yes I am._ “I’ll be back in a bit, _okay_?”

Richard just gave a hum as he sipped at his cup of coffee, grimacing a bit as Tweek turned to walk away.

“ _This coffee is horrid_.”

Tweek snickered when he heard the comment before walking towards the church, shooting the girls a quick text as he ate his muffin.

**If my parents run into you guys, we’re eating brunch together**

Wendy texted back first.

_Is your mystery boo HERE?!_

**MAYBE but just COVER ME for a bit, okay?!**

Then it was Bebe.

_Please share details later I am ~horny~ and like to live vicariously through you guys with some kiss and tells._

Tweek let out a laugh as he entered the church, tucking his phone into the little crossbody bag he had and finishing up his muffin. The church was pretty empty, a few elderly townsfolk and their families lingering near the front and a few altar boys helping Father Maxi set up for what looked like a baptism, but… _no Craig?_

“Craig?” Tweek whispered, the sound of his shoes _clacking_ against the tile the only response he got. “Craig, where- _AH!”_

As he walked by the confessional booth, Tweek was suddenly tugged into the tiny little room and stumbled forward into Craig’s chest. The door shut behind him, eyes widening as Craig’s quiet laughter met his ears.

“I’m proud of you for figuring out my little codes.” Craig muttered, hands already tugging at Tweek’s sweater to untuck it from his skirt.

“You almost got me in trouble with my dad, dumbass.” Tweek whispered back. His breath hitched only slightly when a warm hand slid up and under his sweater, guiding him forward until he was forced to sit. But the only place to sit was… _Craig’s lap._

Oh… _thank you Jesus_.

Putting a knee on either side of Craig’s thighs, Tweek settled himself into Craig’s lap before his hands moved to run over his chest. It was a tight fit, but they were making it work.

“ _Me?_ Get _you_ in trouble? Oh _darling_ ,” Tweek’s eyes widened at the little name, gasping as a thumb brushed over his nipple. “I do apologize.”

Tweek swallowed hard at the sudden shift, whimper passing his lips as another hand grabbed at his ass.

“Y-You-what are you doing?”

“Doing what I should’ve done this morning,” Craig mumbled, breath hot against Tweek’s ear as he pushed the fabric of his skirt up to grab at his ass underneath. “Make out with you and jerk off.”

Tweek whimpered as he felt Craig’s fingers pinch the fabric of his underwear, tugging playfully before letting the elastic snap back into place. In an effort to muffle his noises, Tweek bit down on Craig’s shoulder and screwed his eyes shut.

“J-Jerk off? Here? N-Now?”

“I brought napkins from the brunch, it’s fine.”

Tweek snickered, forehead resting against Craig’s shoulder now while he slowly unbuttoned Craig’s shirt.

“That’s not what I meant, Craig,” He giggled. “I-I mean… _we can get caught_.”

“I know,” Craig said so surely. “Isn’t that fun?”

Lifting his head up, Tweek searched Craig’s face for a moment for any sign of regret or fear considering it was _Craig_ who was in the closet still.

But…there wasn’t.

All he could see was that look from across the parking lot that Tweek now knew was _desire. Lust. Need._

So Tweek smiled, pushing Craig’s shirt off his shoulders until it rested in the crook of his elbows. His fingers danced over his tan skin, up the side of his neck and settling against his cheeks. Bumping their noses together lightly, Tweek nodded before quietly speaking between them.

“ _Yes…so…so much fun.”_

Craig closed the gap, smile against his lips as he did so. It made Tweek smile, too. Soft sighs of content passed their lips the deeper the kiss got, Craig leaning forward slightly so Tweek’s back was against the door and he could push the front of his skirt up. Tongue licking at his bottom lip, Tweek opened his mouth to let Craig do _whatever_ the fuck he wanted to him. He tasted of strawberries and chocolate chips surely from a muffin, Tweek whining quietly into his mouth as a warm hand brushed over the front of his underwear.

_When did I get hard?!_

Maybe it _was_ the potential risk of getting caught. Maybe it was the thought of his dad swinging the door open and they go tumbling out, but Tweek makes sure Craig doesn’t stop so his dad can see just what he’s been doing for almost two months. Maybe it was the fact Craig’s finger was running oh so delicately over his erection.

_Oh…OH!_

“H-How’s that?” Craig asked quietly, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Tweek panted quietly while focusing on the gentle touch Craig gave him, eyes heavy and head nodding.

“ _P-Please…it-it’s so nice.”_

Craig smiled at that. That’s all he wanted really: to make Tweek feel _good_. Because the way Tweek looked when he felt good made Craig _feel incredible._ So-index finger hooking into Tweek’s underwear-Craig gently tugged them down enough until Tweek’s dick was out. It made the blonde whimper, a sense of panic settling in as he realized his _dick was out in CHURCH!!_

“Hey, it’s okay,” Craig whispered, hand wrapping lightly around Tweek’s erection. “You’re okay.” Craig pressed a kiss to Tweek’s forehead, feeling him start to squirm as he moved his hand in a slow and gentle pace. Sure, this was his first time jerking another guy off, but it couldn’t be that different… _right?_

“I-It- _fuck_ -it’s so- _thank you_.” Tweek’s brain has completely shut off at this point, head spinning due to all the stimulation. Tilting his head back against the door, Tweek swallowed hard when he realized _his feet weren’t on the ground._

Craig was completely supporting him. 

“O-Of course,” Craig sighed out, breath shaky as he couldn’t help from bucking his hips forward. “ _Fuck_ , you make me so hard.”

The brush of Craig’s clothed erection against his inner thigh made Tweek see stars, eyes fluttering open before whispering.

“…C-Can I see yours, too? Pretty please?”

Craig faltered his movements on slightly at the addition of the ‘ _pretty please’_ , head nodding before he set Tweek down only to take his pants off. The sound of his belt being undone made Tweek’s knees weak, hands reaching out to replace Craig’s. He thankfully got the hint, settling back to watch Tweek undo his belt and tug his pants down slowly. Then came Craig’s underwear, breath shaky as Tweek’s fingers curled into the waistband. He tugged on the fabric, mouth slowly falling open as there was just _so much cock_ underneath that thin fabric. More and more just kept coming, Tweek letting out a louder moan than intended when he finally tucked the fabric under Craig’s balls.

Yeah…eleven inches seemed about right.

The sound made Craig’s hand clamp down over Tweek’s mouth, the blonde’s eyes pleading as he wasted no time in wrapping a hand around Craig’s length. It made the football player choke on a gasp, his eyes dark while a smile cross his face.

“Is that how you’re gonna act when you see my cock for the first time? _Moan so desperately like that_?” Tweek whimpered under the hand over his mouth, grunting only when Craig’s thumb tugged his bottom lip down. “ _Speak_.”

“Y-Yes,” Tweek sucked his thumb into his mouth, whining when he felt the hand return on his dick. “Yes. You’re just… _so big._ ” He choked out around Craig’s thumb. The sight alone was almost enough to make Craig cum… _almost._ But he kept moving his hand over Tweek’s dick, glancing down to watch Tweek do the same to his cock.

His hand could barely reach around the width of his dick, the sight making Craig’s erection twitch and throb the longer he watched. Tweek’s eyes brightened every time he felt it.

“T-That’s right,” Craig encouraged, swallowing hard to steady his voice. “You-you make me feel _so fucking good_ , too. You-You’re so _fucking gorgeous_ and I-I can’t stop thinking about you. You’ve fucking _ruined me_.” Craig gritted out, thrusting his hips forward against Tweek’s erection. Tweek’s eyes widened as he suddenly got an idea, removing his hand from Craig’s cock and tugging his hand off his dick.

“Here,” Tweek breathed out, maneuvering Craig’s hand to wrap around _both_ their dicks. It made both of them tense for a moment as they felt their erections touch, but Craig gave his hand a squeeze which made both of them gasp. “I-I wanna…wanna cum with you…o-okay?”

Craig blinked down at Tweek, face heating up at the small smile that sat on his face. It was so… _soft_ , so _sincere_ that Craig felt a pleasant warmth blossom inside of his chest. It was unlike anything he’s every felt before that warmth…and he wanted to feel it over and over and _over_ again. Tilting his head down, Craig caught Tweek’s lips with his once more as he continued the movements he was previously doing to both of theirs. His breath was shaky as it left his nose, Tweek letting out desperate moan after desperate moan into Craig’s mouth the more he touched them. Eventually, Tweek’s mouth slid off of Craig’s, panting into the crook of his neck as he felt that familiar heat pool into his stomach.

“ _F-Fuck fuckfuckfuck_ ,” Craig hissed between his teeth, other hand coming down to grab at Tweek’s ass. “I-I’m so close, darling, so close.” The little pet name had Tweek seeing stars once more, gasps wracking his body now as he tried to hold out _a little longer_.

But he couldn’t.

“C-Craig-Craig, I-I-!”

He was cut off with a kiss, both trying to stay as quiet as possible when their orgasms finally hit. Craig moved his hand a few more times as they came, both pulling their lips away after their bodies were spent. Tweek tumbled forward slightly, but Craig was there. He caught him and sat him on his lap, his foot pressed against the door now to try and stretch his legs out as he panted into Tweek’s hair.

“ _Shit_ ,” Craig muttered, chuckle rumbling his chest while he pressed a few kisses to the top of Tweek’s head. “That… _wow.”_

“Y-Yeah,” Tweek panted out in agreement, lazy smile on his face as he grabbed the napkins from Craig’s pocket. He started wiping at Craig’s stomach and hand first. “ _Wow_.”

“Your face is as red as that cute skirt of yours,” Craig laughed. “How’re you gonna explain that to your dad?”

“The church has the heat on, and I flush when I get hot,” Tweek said with a shrug, smile crossing his lips. “Elementary, my dear.”

Craig snickered while he cleaned Tweek up, placing all the used napkins in an unused one and wrapping it up once they were as clean as possible. After they were cleaned up, Tweek sat himself back down on Craig’s lap. They held onto one another for about five more minutes before Craig knew in his head that they should get going. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew it was the right thing to do. So-pressing a kiss to Tweek’s forehead, he let out a heavy sigh.

“You head out first alright? Can I call you later?” Craig whispered, thumb brushing over Tweek’s cheek. The blonde nuzzled into the touch, eyes closing before turning and pressing a kiss to Craig’s palm.

“Of course,” He whispered back. “I’m going to the Testaburgers this afternoon and then I can call you before dinner?”

“Perfect,” Craig pressed one last kiss to Tweek’s lips, humming in content before tugging his underwear back in place finally. “I drove separately from my family since I’m running a few errands for my mom. My truck should be unlocked if you want to grab your flowers and bat,”

Tweek smiled at that, nodding before standing up. “Oh!” He grabbed Tweek’s hand before he could open the door, green eyes wide as he looked over his shoulder.

“What?”

“Um…home-homecoming is…this weekend.”

Tweek blinked.

“What…what are you saying?”

“Well…I-I know it-it wouldn’t be a _traditional_ homecoming experience…but it’s our last one and-and I was wondering if…you’d wanna go with me? Like…if anyone asks me I’ll say no and-and if anyone asks _you_ then you’ll say no cause we’re going together but not like… _together_ together? _Fuck_ , I’m complicating things, aren’t I?”

“No no,” Tweek smiled at the sentiment. “So we’d be each other’s dates without having to do all the bullshit that goes with preparing for homecoming. And then while there, we just…act as friends.”

“Well,” Craig nibbled on his lip. “I’d expect at least _one_ slow dance.”

This made Tweek stare at Craig for a moment.

“But…you’re not… _out_.”

“So? I can’t slow dance with you?”

“N-No, no you can! I just…sometimes you confuse me. Like…you’re in the closet…but then you-you make out with me at Stark’s Pond. J-Jerk us off in a _church confessional_. Ask me to homecoming and want to slow dance, but don’t actually want to take photos and all that stuff so we don’t seem like we’re… _together_ together.”

Craig frowned as he noticed the slight look of defeat on Tweek’s face, sigh passing his lips and hands coming up to hold Tweek’s face.

“Tweek…I…get that these circumstances don’t favor you much. And-and I’m _so sorry_. I just…how can I proudly show you off to the world when I can’t…show my true self off in the same way? I…I don’t know. I sometimes go back and forth still on if I am gay, but then I see _you_ and each and every time it just further _confirms_ that I am!”

Tweek gave a sad smile, patting Craig’s cheek lightly before grabbing his wrists to move his hands away from his face.

“Craig…it’s called internalized homophobia. You should try and research it a bit. It…might help you jump over the hurdle,” A pause. “I gotta go, okay? We can talk more later.” Leaning up on his tip toes, Tweek pressed a final kiss to Craig’s cheek before turning and leaving the confessional. Craig stared at the door where Tweek’s face was just moments ago, lump in his throat while his brain swam with new information.

He wasn’t… _homophobic._ So why…couldn’t he be honest with himself about who he is? Why can’t he just _man up_ and fucking _COME OUT?_ Why couldn’t he just look his parents in the eyes and say:

“I’m gay,” He whispered it out loud, breath catching when he heard it. He didn’t mean to say it out loud…but it felt… _right_. It didn’t feel as scary as he thought it would. So…he did it again. “I’m gay,” A pause. “I’m gay…I’m gay I’m gay _I’m gay I’m gay_.”

Craig slumped in the confessional seat, grin across his face as tears filled his eyes. Why it took him so long to finally say it, he wasn’t sure. But maybe it was because he pictured Tweek’s smiling face in front of him, looking at him with pride and love as he encouraged Craig to say it…just once more.

“I’m gay.”

* * *

Nichole and Token won homecoming king and queen, just like Tweek had predicted.

The football team even won the game the night before, resulting in Stan to throw a party at his house. Craig didn’t stay long considering he had worked the night before and only got a two-hour nap in after school, but it was a nice time, nonetheless. Tweek was even there with the girls and Pip, the two blonde boys sticking together most of the night with Damien and himself. There was even a point where Damien leaned over to him, his voice so loud over the music despite whispering in his ear.

“ _Dude…are you and Tweek like…a thing?”_

It kept Craig up all night.

Because…were they?

They’ve been doing whatever _this is_ for almost two months now. It was the middle of October and they started this… _thing_ the last week of August.

They weren’t boyfriends…but they were more than friends…so what is that?

Fuck buddies?

But they hadn’t had sex!

His partner?

But…that implies they’re dating, too!

Craig’s mind continued to race all day Saturday as he sat around the house, even while he was currently getting ready for homecoming in his room. Looking himself over in the mirror, Craig hummed as he brushed out his wet hair. It was…too long. Too long for his liking at least now. So-on a whim-he grabbed the scissors off his little desk and just started cutting at it. It wasn’t professional that’s for sure, but for having no cosmetology skills…it wasn’t half bad. Craig couldn’t help but smile at himself as he tugged on his dress pants, running his fingers through his now shorter hair while blow drying it.

It dried in gentle waves, still long compared to most of the guys, but shorter than it was before. His hair now saw right below his jaw, accidentally cutting in a few shorter layers that framed his face.

“Cool.” He muttered to himself before buttoning up his black button-up. Looking himself over once more, he couldn’t help but chuckle as he caught sight of the single silver earring that sat in his right earlobe.

He can still hear Bebe’s voice in his head from last night.

“ _Tucker! Get your cute ass over here! I just pierced Damien’s ear with my nifty piercing kit, so now it’s your turn!”_

It didn’t hurt…especially with Tweek holding his hand under the blanket he had across his lap.

After tying his shoes, Craig made his way downstairs while putting his belt on. He ignored the way his sister gasped _very dramatically_.

“Hair! Hair! You cut your hair!”

“Soak it up, Tricia.” He grumbled, but there was a playful smile on his face despite his tone of voice. His sister looked beautiful in her navy-blue dress, taking a moment to really look at his sister. Tricia…wasn’t such a baby anymore. He wasn’t sure why it took him so long to notice it, but Craig realized his little sister…was a young woman.

It was… _weird_.

“Oh, my babies!” Laura gasped, grin on her face as she leaned into Thomas’ side. “I could eat you both up! Oh! Craig, your hair looks great!”

“Maybe you should be a hair stylist,” Tricia teased, yelling out as Craig elbowed her side. “Ow! Mom!”

“Tricia, please,” Thomas mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That hasn’t worked on us since you were ten.”

“Worth trying anyways,” She sighed out. “Are we taking pictures? Please say no. I don’t have a date and I don’t need people thinking I went with my brother.”

“Your brother is popular, so I don’t see how that’s a bad thing…” Craig whispered next to her, letting out a shout as Tricia elbowed him now.

“Knock it off!” Laura groaned, holding up a disposable camera. “I picked this up at work today and left early so I could see you two off, so _of course_ we’re taking pictures!”

Craig really didn’t feel like taking photos either…but for his mom he’d make an exception. It wasn’t as painful as both Tucker kids made it out to be. Laura was considerate of their time and only took up about ten minutes (that, and she ran out of film).

“Can I sleep over at the McCormick’s tonight? Karen is having some of the other cheerleaders over after and I wanted to go!” Tricia asked while grabbing her jacket.

“I can see into the McCormick’s house from here. You don’t have to ask to sleep there,” Thomas lughed. “What about you Craig? Any plans for after?”

Thinking for a moment, Craig thought about the couple of parties he was invited to. But…he shook his head.

“Nope,” A pause. “Probably sleep. I’m still tired from work the other night.”

“Well please drive safe over to the school!” Laura pleaded. “I don’t need you two getting hurt.”

Craig gave a small smile, kissing her cheek before giving his dad a hug.

“We’re always safe.”

Once in the solitude of Craig’s truck-about two blacks away from their house-Tricia finally asked a question that’s been on her mind for a few weeks.

“So…what’s with you and Tweek?”

Craig kept staring straight ahead, sucking in a deep breath through his nose.

“What do you want to know?”

“Well…I dunno. There’s some rumors going around…”

Craig hit the brakes a little _too hard_ at the red light, arm shooting out across Tricia’s chest to prevent her from going into the dashboard.

“ _Like what?”_

Tricia flinched at the tone of voice.

“I-It’s nothing!”

“It’s clearly _something_.”

“It- _ugh_ -well I-I know he’s friends with Pip and-and he’s kind of-!”

“Those rumors were proven false, Tricia, you know that.” Craig sighed out once the light turned green.

“I-I know,” She started to fidget with her hair. “I just…look, Kevin is my lab partner and-and Jason and Karen are at the same table as us, and they asked me if you had _come out of the closet yet_ , and-!”

“They told you _what_?”

Craig flashed back to that day in the bathroom stall with Tweek, breath shaky as he could vividly hear Jason’s stupid fucking voice say it so clearly.

“ _I heard from someone that Tucker’s a fag.”_

“T-They said after Damien’s party one night that-that you took someone home and-and had sex in the back of your truck but that someone was a guy!”

Craig let out a heavy sigh as they pulled into the school parking lot, the distant chatter of students filling the truck once it was off.

“Tricia…it’s just a rumor. I haven’t had sex and nothing is going on between Tweek and I, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Jason said he was your boyfriend…I just…wanted to check in on you. It’s your senior year and I…feel like we’ve barely talked,” She gave a small smile. “You’d tell me if something was going on…right Craig?”

The statement hit him _hard_ , breath catching in his throat before he looked around. Slowly, he rolled his window up, eyes cast down into his lap to try and collect the words in his head. And there-in the privacy of his truck-Craig did the impossible.

“Tricia…I…I’m gay…and-” He sucked in a deep breath after letting a heavy one out, jaw clenching as he turned to look at the school. “And Tweek…he-we’ve been…okay, we’ve been kind of seeing one another since the beginning of the school year. Him and-and Coach Taylor are the only people that know about me so-so just… _fuck_ ,” Craig dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, stars dotting his vision as tears made his palms wet. “P-Please don’t…say nothing yet to mom and dad.”

Tricia’s eyes were wide as she let out a shaky breath, unbuckling herself finally and leaning across to wrap her arms around her brother’s torso. They sat wrapped around one another for about five minutes, just until Tricia heard Craig’s heartbeat return to a sensible pace.

Then-pulling back so Craig could really understand her point-Tricia gave a sincere smile before wiping her own tears off her cheeks.

“I still love you, stupid…now we can look at guys together at the mall. D-Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

And even though it was so _dumb_ , it made Craig smile so wide.

“That sounds like a blast.”

* * *

The gym was too hot.

It was already bad enough that Craig had to fight off hordes of desperate underclassmen that were trying to get him to dance with them, but now he’s got another group of girls trying to compliment him on his haircut.

“Move it ladies, step aside, important guy coming through!” Clyde shouted over the music, pushing his way through the cluster of girls with Jimmy, Token, Kenny, and Damien not far behind. It was the comic relief he needed.

“His royal highness is gracing me with his presence?!” Craig gasped, bowing to Token as he approached. It made him laugh, Token rolling his eyes as he tugged Craig upright by his hair.

“Yes, pretty boy,” He punched his arm once he stood up. “My girlfriend got swept away by her friends, so that’s why we’re here.”

“Well that…and the fact we gotta ask you something.” Clyde said, Craig immediately tensing. Considering what just transpired in the truck only an hour prior, he has a good idea as to what it could be.

“And that would be…what?”

They all looked at one another for a moment, Jimmy finally breaking the silence.

“C-Craig…are-are you… _g-gay_?”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Craig steadied his breathing before shaking his head.

“No…and let me guess: Kevin and Jason told you?”

Damien blinked.

“How’d you know?”

Craig narrowed his eyes, giving a big, sarcastic grin before wiping the look off his face.

“Call it a hunch.”

Token opened his mouth to continue on, but a set of arms wrapped around him from behind.

“Hello my king!” Nichole laughed, Craig smiling as he saw the others approach behind the guys. Pip wrapped his arms around Damien before leaning up on his tip toes to kiss him, Bebe leaning her head on Clyde’s shoulder and Wendy wrapping her arms around Jimmy. Tweek, however, stood next to Craig against the wall shoulder to shoulder. It gave Craig the opportunity to inch his hand across the wall and grab Tweek’s behind their backs.

It felt… _good_.

“Hello to you my queen,” Token chuckled, wrapping an arm around Nichole once she moved in front of him. “What were you all up to?”

“The photobooth!” Bebe laughed, holding the photo strip out for them to look out. “You guys should try it at some point! The initial crowd is pretty much gone.”

“Oh! Damie, can we go try it?! The slow dance is coming up soon and I want a cute photo strip for my room!”

Damien gave a dopey grin as he looked at Pip, tugging him close and kissing his forehead. He was so in love it was fucking stupid.

“Of course, angel! C’mon, before they call for the slow dance.”

Everyone trickled onto the dance floor or headed towards the photo booth, but Tweek and Craig stayed put. It was nice…just the two of them.

They don’t get that out in public, really.

“I…told my sister.”

Tweek looked up at Craig, eyes softening as he realized what he meant.

“Yeah?”

“I wasn’t planning on it but…I guess those two meatheads are spreading that rumor about me still…that I’m a fag and-and fucked some guy in my truck…”

Tweek frowned now, thumb brushing over Craig’s knuckles before turning a bit to face him.

“Craig, if you weren’t ready to tell her, you didn’t have to. Don’t let a rumor force you out of the closet.”

“It wasn’t that I felt like I _had_ to it was just…she seemed so _concerned_ that I would be upset with her for bringing it up and-and just seemed like she wanted to help if necessary and…I dunno. I love Tricia and it felt… _good_ admitting it to someone considering she’s the first person I’ve said it to after really coming to terms with it.”

“When did it hit you?”

“Sunday…after you left the confession booth,” Craig smiled weakly. The entire topic still made him emotional. Not because he was _sad_ he was gay, but just because he was so _relieved_ each and every time he thought about it now. “I just…you were right. It _is_ confusing being around me at times. And I didn’t want any more confusion between us. Because I know what I am and… _I’m gay.”_

Hearing Craig admit out loud that he was gay made Tweek’s chest swell with pride, breathless laugh passing his lips. He can remember that feeling well when he finally admitted it to the girls and Pip in Wendy’s basement, and again later when he said it to his parents in the coffee shop after closing.

It was the best feeling in the world.

“…I’m so proud of you,” Tweek said loud enough for Craig to hear, tucking a strand of hair behind Craig’s ear. “And I’m loving the haircut. Compliments that new piercing of yours quite nicely.”

Craig couldn’t help but laugh as Tweek grabbed his still tender earlobe between his thumb and index fingers, eyes glancing at him out of their corners.

“Do _you_ want a photo strip for your room, too?” He asked. By the looks of it, it was a question that Tweek _really_ wasn’t expecting.

“I…well _yeah_.” Tweek admitted sheepishly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Craig took the moment to really absorb his outfit, chest swelling as he never realized just how… _unique_ Tweek’s style really was. He wore a skirt again, this one pink, glittery and stopping a little above the knee. His top was black and long sleeved, the sleeves flaring out at the bottom and hanging to add a Stevie Nicks kind of vibe to the outfit. His shoes were red and looked like simple Mary Janes, but they really pulled everything together nicely. So-as they made their way over to the photo booth-Craig ducked down by his ear.

“By the way, you look absolutely _beautiful_ tonight.”

It had Tweek seeing stars for a good ten minutes while they waited in line. Once in the safety of the photo booth, Tweek felt his face heat up as he settled on Craig’s lap.

“Can…Can I-?”

“Just kiss me, alright?” Craig whispered, leaning his forehead against Tweek’s. The shutter of the camera made Tweek jump slightly, breath shaky while his head gave a curt nod. His lips met Craig’s in a delicate kiss, the camera shutter going off once more as Tweek’s hand grabbed at Craig’s jaw. For the third photo, Craig pulled away and squished his cheek against Tweek’s, the blonde laughing and Craig grinning like an idiot for the camera. For the final photo, Tweek put a hand on Craig’s cheek and turned his head, pressing his lips to the other cheek. Craig’s eyes looked at him, soft and so full of fucking love that you’d have to be an idiot to miss it. Tweek exited the photo booth first, the tired worker letting out a sigh.

“Two copies?” He grumbled.

“Yes please.” Tweek responded, nodding his head as thanks once the guy passed the two photo strips over. He gave one to Craig, who thanked him before tucking it in his pocket. Sure, he was out to a few people now, but not everyone. So he looked at the photos over Tweek’s shoulder.

They meant absolutely _everything_ to Craig as he moved further down the column of photos.

“They turned out nice.”

“They’re _wonderful_ ,” Tweek sighed out, tucking them safely in the little bag he had. Why it took him so long to notice, but his face felt hot once he saw everyone slow dancing. _When did they call for the dance?!_ “Oh.”

Craig could see Tweek’s shoulders deflate as they stood there. It was his last homecoming-Tweek’s too-and he wasn’t going to let some stupid rumor hinder it.

“C’mon.” He grabbed Tweek’s hand, tugging him to the edge of the gym where they had been standing earlier just outside the large circle of kids.

“W-What are you-?!”

“I’m dancing with you.” 

“But-but the rumors-!”

“Aren’t true…for the most part. Look, it’s our last homecoming and I just…want to enjoy myself, okay? I wanna dance with you.”

Tweek’s eyes widened as he stared up at Craig. He wanted to kiss him… _so bad_ , but he resisted before nodding his head.

“O-Okay,” He smiled. “Okay.”

And-as Craig’s hand settled on his hip and took hold of his other-Tweek felt like he was floating on cloud nine. He felt the hand on his hip inch him closer, head falling forward and cheek resting against Craig’s chest. The steady sound of Craig’s heartbeat was lulling him into a sense of comfort and serenity, but-

“Well holy fuck.”

He knew it wouldn’t last long.

Kevin and Jason had stupid grins on their faces as they had shock in their eyes.

“I tried to give you every benefit of the doubt, Tucker, but you… _really are a fag!”_ Jason laughed in disbelief, but Craig never once let Tweek move away from him.

“And who told you that?”

“Well, you holding onto one of South Park’s finest homos really isn’t doing much for you.” Kevin motioned to Tweek as he spoke, a pang of guilt washing over Tweek as he pushed himself away from Craig’s chest.

“I-I just wanted a dance, alright?” Tweek spat out in defense.

“Oh boo hoo. You can’t snag someone like Pirrup so you’re going after the straights? Or is Tucker really a fag? Did you sprinkle some pixie dust on him? Maybe it’s in that little purse of yours!”

“H-Hey!” Tweek’s eyes widened as his bag was grabbed, gasping as Craig’s hand grabbed onto Kevin’s wrist. Because Craig knew if he got that bag, he was _really_ outed considering the photo strip was in there.

“Kevin…let it _go_.”

“Alright jeez!” He scoffed, Craig pushing Tweek behind him once the bag was let go. “You’ve gone soft, Tucker! You were _known_ for pushing kids around, shoving them into lockers, being the school’s biggest troublemaker!”

“They’re all _rumors_ , shithead, just like me being gay! So why don’t you two knock that shit _off_. Tweek’s an old friend of mine and we didn’t have anyone to dance with, so we were just dancing _as friends!”_

“You don’t have enough to choose from considering the horde of girls that were around you earlier?!” Kevin groaned.

“I’m not interested in them,” Craig paused, eyes narrowing as he stooped down to be eye level with the two offensive linemen in front of him. “And don’t fucking bring my sister into your shitty rumormills. Got it? Keep my name out of your mouth.”

“Alright, alright!” Jason held his hands up in mock defense, smirking a bit as Craig turned to leave with Tweek. “But I’ll be sure my name is leaving your sisters mouth. She’s got a nice wrack.”

“ _Craig, no!”_ Tweek knew it was too late the moment he felt Craig’s body turn, his fist connecting _hard_ with Jason’s cheek. Kevin immediately jumped to the defense, landing a punch against Craig’s lip.

“ _Fucking bastard!”_ Craig growled out, grabbing Kevin’s collar and tossing him aside.

“Craig!” Tweek reached his hand between Craig and Jason, who raised his hand to try and get one more hit in on Craig. But then Tweek saw spots in his vision, shout leaving his lips as Jason’s elbow connected with his nose. Craig was so enraged that somewhere through the ringing in his ears, he heard Tweek cry out.

“Tweek?!”

Jason took his moment of distraction to punch Craig’s stomach, gasp shaking the taller man’s body before he shoved Jason away. Kevin managed to land one punch to Craig’s nose, shout passing his lips as all Craig could think about was _getting to Tweek_.

“Hey! Hey-you stupid-HEY!” Clyde grabbed Jason by his collar, Damien grabbing Kevin before they shoved them away. “What the fuck are you two doing?! Hitting your _senior?!”_

“Tucker threw the first punch!” Jason spat, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “Guess he can’t handle the fact his sister is the pretty one in the family. Does it hurt your ego, Tucker? Or does your little boyfriend fuel it for you when you fuck him sideways?!”

“ _Shut the fuck up!”_ Craig barked, lunging forward towards the pair once more. But Damien and Clyde caught him by his arms, immediately pulling him towards the exit to get some air.

“Hey-hey dude, c’mon!” Damien shouted once they were outside, Craig breaking free and tangling his hands in his hair. He was pacing back and forth in the hallway, chest heaving before his fist slammed into a locker.

“Those fucking idiots! Spreading rumors about me, talking about my _sister_ , talking about Tweek,” He spat into a nearby trashcan, noticing it was all blood. “Then they want to fight me?!”

“What even happened?!” Clyde asked, leaning against the lockers with Damien.

“Like I said,” Craig sighed as he tried to calm himself down. “I was just…minding my business with-” But then he remembered. “ _TWEEK!_ Fuck, I think he got-!”

“Hit,” Craig looked over as he heard Tweek’s voice, heart dropping as he held a paper towel up to his nose. “Y-Yeah.”

Damien winced before taking Tweek’s glasses off his face and tucking them into his bag.

“Dude, _your nose!”_

“Y-Yeah. I think it m-might be broken.” He hiccuped, shoulders shaking as he tried not to cry. It hurt too much.

“Here, let me see,” Craig muttered, ducking down to inspect Tweek’s nose. He moved the paper towel down enough just to look at it clearly. His eyes were already bruising underneath and his nose seemed swollen. “It looks it. Doesn’t look like a serious break or one that needs to be set.”

“Y-Yours looks bad, too.” Tweek breathed out, smiling sadly as he held a paper towel out to Craig.

“You two gonna be okay?” Clyde asked.

“Yeah, I can take you home or something if you need a ride?” Damien offered, but Craig shook his head.

“I’m fine. I can drive us both home,” A pause. “But tell my sister I had to go, alright? If she needs a ride, can you take her?”

“Anything for my number one little lady.” Damien said with a grin, both him and Clyde waving before heading back inside the gym. Once it was just the two of them, Craig brushed Tweek’s hair off his forehead.

“I-I’m so sorry.” Tweek whispered, Craig’s face dropping as he frowned.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“B-Because I should’ve known that-that if you were seen dancing with m-me, it would only cause trouble. I-I didn’t want this and-and I just-!”

Then there were lips on his, Tweek gasping hard as all he could focus on was the metallic taste of their blood. Both their noses were broken and bleeding, but Tweek didn’t care.

Craig was kissing him… _in the school_.

And he held onto Tweek’s face so gently, almost afraid he’d float away if he didn’t. A few minutes (yes: _minutes!_ ) later, Craig pulled away to catch his breath. It was difficult to kiss when he couldn’t breathe out his nose. Their blood was smeared across their lips, cheeks, and jaws, but neither seemed to mind

“Don’t fucking apologize for two idiots that can’t handle how absolutely wonderful you are.”

The statement hit Tweek _hard_ , smile crossing his face as he sniffled. But-having forgotten his nose-he just winced.

“ _Ow_.”

“We’re a fucking mess,” Craig snickered, wrapping an arm around Tweek’s waste. “Come on, slugger, let’s get you cleaned up.”

* * *

The Tucker house was dark when they pulled up out front. Craig typically wouldn’t want Tweek to see where he was living, but at this point, all he wanted to do was curl up with him and get some wonderful sleep. First, he gave Tweek a t-shirt to change into, scrambling to try and find an extra blanket for his bed. It was cold tonight and he knew his thin comforter and top sheet weren’t going to keep them warm. Then, he sat Tweek on the edge of his bed while he carefully cleaned up his nose and put a splint over it. It wasn’t anything fancy-just something his mom picked out from the pharmacy-and thankfully she picked up a few since Craig has broken his nose quite a few times in his life. Once they were all cleaned up and cozy in bed, Craig pressed a few gentle kisses to the tip of Tweek’s nose.

“Is that okay?” He whispered, Tweek nodding before smiling tiredly.

“It feels nice.” He whispered back.

“…I’m sorry my house isn’t anything spectacular. My room is boring compared to yours.”

Tweek frowned as he saw how _shy_ Craig seemed over the topic.

“You don’t have to apologize for your house, Craig,” Tweek didn’t say anything in the ride home, but he didn’t know Craig lived on this side of town. “Or your room…I love it.”

Craig hummed quietly, arms holding onto Tweek a little tighter.

“You don’t have to lie, darling.”

“Would you believe me if I said I _wasn’t_ lying? And that you shouldn’t be ashamed for something that’s out of your control?” Tweek stroked his hair gently while he spoke, Craig’s face nuzzled into his neck. It made his feet hang over the edge of the bed, but he didn’t care. Having Tweek hold him like this…yeah: it was incredible.

“… _Maybe_ ,” He muttered, placing a lazy kiss to his throat. “We can…talk more in the morning. I’m tired.”

“Me too,” Tweek smiled into Craig’s hair, eyes fluttering shut. “Good night, Craig.”

Craig muttered a response against his neck, the sensation making Tweek smile a bit more before they fell quiet. After having slept in both Tweek’s bed and his own together, Craig was convinced that it was just _Tweek_ that made sleeping so wonderful. It was another restful night for Craig. He slept the soundest he’s had in a long time. So sound-in fact-that it was too late to register his father’s voice in the morning as it approached his door.

“Hey Craig, do you want waffles or-?!” Thomas blinked as he swung the door open, watching Craig push himself up onto elbow and wrap a protective arm around the _boy_ in his bed. “-..pan…pancakes…,” He cleared his throat, leaning against the doorframe to get off his crutch for a moment. “I- _ah_ -sorry?”

“DAD! Jesus fucking- _oh my god!”_

“What the hell is-?!” Laura blinked as she stood in the doorway now, cheeks heating up as she recognized Tweek Tweak in her son’s bed. “ _Oh!”_

“MOM! Oh my god! _Fucking_ -get out of my room!” Craig’s voice broke at the end of his sentence, sitting upright to try and stop the absolute sinking feeling he felt in his stomach.

He was going to puke.

This wasn’t how he wanted this to happen.

This- _fuck_ -this wasn’t good this was _so bad_!

“Honey, why is Tweek Tweak- _hi Tweek_ -why is Tweek Tweak in your bed?” Laura breathed out, but she had a hunch as to _why_ her son’s old best friend was still half asleep in one of his t-shirts.

“He-I got in a fucking fight last night and-and Tweek got hit too and I just-we were a mess and w-we just-I-I didn’t wanna drive him home s-so we-he just slept here and-and-” Craig’s head was swimming as he tried to think of every excuse in the book, but…there wasn’t really escaping this one. He was in his underwear for crying out loud and was holding onto Tweek like he was a lifeline.

“Craig,” Thomas said quietly, slowly making his way over before sitting in Craig’s desk chair. “While I do believe you two got hit last night, I don’t necessarily believe the other half of your story.”

“D-Dad, it-it’s _true_ ,” But Craig’s voice didn’t seem to be convincing anyone, even himself at this point. “W-We’re just-”

A gentle hand rested on his cheek, Craig gasping as he realized he had _tears_ on his face. But Tweek was wiping them away, blue eyes darting down to look at the blonde by his side.

“Craig…”

And-as Tweek gave him an encouraging smile and a look that said ‘ _it’s up to you’_ -Craig Tucker finally let his walls tumble around his parents.

Which meant the flood gates opened, too.

A sob escaped his lips as he finally gave up in trying to hide the situation he was currently in, fingers tangling into his hair as he smiled in disbelief.

Just like with Tricia, he did the previously impossible.

“I’m gay,” He blurted out, sucking in a deep breath after he did so before letting out in a heavy sigh. “I-I’m gay and-and Tweek’s my boyfriend.”

Tweek blinked in surprise, eyes widening slowly.

Craig…Craig said _boyfriend._

_There was a label! HE LABELED IT!_

Thomas hummed quietly before standing, now sitting on the edge of Craig’s bed and clamping a hand down on his son’s shoulder.

“Craig,” He smiled, sighing quietly as he gripped his shoulder a little tighter. “You’re still _Craig_. _My_ Craig. My _son_ ,” Thomas tangled a hand into his hair, tugging him closer to press a kiss to the top of his head. “Now don’t you feel better? Did you feel the weight lift off your shoulders?”

Craig stared at the wall over his dad’s shoulder as he felt his mom crawl up the bed to sit besides him, arms wrapping around him tightly as she sniffled. Tweek held onto his hand while his head leaned against his shoulder still.

This…this was what Craig needed- _no_ -it’s what he _craved_.

His father and mother didn’t care that he was gay, he admitted out loud that Tweek was his boyfriend, and he even told his sister everything, too!

“Tweek is a wonderful young man, Craig, and I’m so happy you two reconnected,” Laura whispered, giving Tweek a smile as her head leaned on Craig’s other shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting a fourth mouth this morning for breakfast since your sister is next door, but I can mix some more batter up! Now!” Laura wiped her cheeks as she sat up at the foot of the bed, smile on her lips while she helped Thomas stand now. “Waffles or pancakes, boys?”

Craig looked at Tweek, the blonde smiling and shoulders shrugging.

“Pancakes?” Craig asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Perfect! Come down in about ten minutes then!”

And-as Craig watched his parents leave his room-he let out another cry as he just took a few minutes to cry along with his boyfriend.

He did it.

He fucking did it.

He overcame the biggest hurdle he’s ever faced, and everything was _okay_.

They went downstairs ten minutes later, Craig explaining in further detail about everything that’s happened over the past few months to his parents with Tweek’s assistance.

They even divulged Tweek with information about everything that’s happened to the Tucker Family since the last time he really saw them.

Thomas’ accident, the medical bills, their move to the ‘bad side of town’, how Craig works overnight to help make ends meet, how Laura works a job at the bank from six am to two in the afternoon and then a second job at the pharmacy from three until nine on some days.

It was a morning filled with laughs, tears, and reconnecting, but Craig wouldn’t have it any other way.

Besides…his _boyfriend_ was there to make it all better if need be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> G;ENBITSRBNIPNGBVA  
> This chapter is like the length of three chapters BUT FUCK IT  
> BECAUSE I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPLOADED IN AWHILE!  
> I used to write a lot at work since I was working a position where all I did was make sure people in the residential building I work at wore a mask inside the gym, so all I did was sit at a little table and just write/watch Netflix or whatever for 6-7 hours.  
> But that position WENT AWAY!!! So I haven't been as motivated/free to write as much.  
> BUT HERE'S ALMOST 10,000 WORDS OF SOME SMUT, FEELS, AND A GOOD TIME!!!  
> I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT!!  
> I'll probably hop back over to Honey, Honey since it's been a LONG TIME since I've written for that one, so be on the look out for that chapter!  
> Any and all feedback is appreciated, and until next time! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

Two weeks have passed since Craig officially came out to his parents and sister. So-in simple terms-it’s been two weeks of absolute bliss each and every day after school. Tweek comes and does homework every Tuesday and Thursday since those days are slower in the coffee shop, so his help isn’t as necessary. He’s even stayed for dinner a few times as well, Craig dropping him off around eight at night and then trying to get a little sleep in before work.

Around week three, Richard Tweak started growing suspicious.

It was a Sunday morning and the Tweak’s have just gotten home from church. As they changed into more comfortable clothing for yet another day in the coffee shop, Richard finally spoke up.

“How’s that project you’ve been working on coming along, Tweek?”

Tweek froze only for a moment as he tied up his sneakers, chewing the inside of his cheek before clearing his throat.

“Fine.”

“What class is it for again?”

“English. It’s a group paper and presentation.”

“What book?”  
“ _Frankenstein_.”

“Haven’t you read that ten times already?”

The questions kept coming and coming as they all left together, Tweek narrowing his eyes towards his father as he adjusted his glasses.

“Yes, but the paper and presentation still need to get done. Besides, my group members aren’t as keen on reading as I am.”

Mary nibbled on her bottom lip, thankful her lipstick was long lasting and wouldn’t stain her teeth.

“Richard, if you’re trying to get a point across, I’m not sure if this is the way to go about it.”

“What I’m trying to insinuate, Mary, is that our son is sneaking around behind our backs.”

Tweek froze as they reached the shop door, looking at his feet in an attempt to ease his anger and frustration.

“Why would you say that, dad?” Tweek asked, feigning hurt as he finally looked his dad in the eyes.

He hasn’t done theater in a while, but Tweek could still act.

“Because there are only a handful of people that live on _that_ side of town.”

“Kenny is in my group for the project, if that’s what you’re getting at!”

“Okay, but who’s his neighbor, Tweek?” Richard finally barked, watching his son jump back slightly.

“I…what are you talking about?”

“Tweek, you’re a _smart kid_ , so answer the question,” Richard started flicking some of the coffee machines on as he asked his question again. “Who is Kenny McCormick’s neighbor?”

Gritting his teeth, Tweek fiddled with his sweater before finally letting out a huff of air.

“… _Craig Tucker_.”

“And there it is!” Richard exclaimed, clapping his hands together before laying them on the countertop. “Craig Tucker! The _one_ kid in the world I really don’t want you talking to!”

“But _WHY?!_ Craig’s a nice kid and you’re being judgmental of him for no reason! You’ve always been like that to him! Ever since we were kids!”

“Because people talk in this town, Tweek. I know he’s a troublemaker. I know he’s a delinquent-”

“That’s not-!”

“I know he’s a whore! I’m surprised he hasn’t knocked some poor girl up at this point!”

“He is NOT! How could you-?!”

“They’re on that side of town because his father is a deadbeat drunk while his mother-!”

“ _Richard!”_

Mary noticed how visibly shaken up Tweek was about his father’s outburst, tears pricking his eyes and making them look impossibly larger as he tried not to cry.

“D-Dad…he-he isn’t _any_ of those things,” And Tweek knows this is a fact. Everything his father said is _wrong_. Tweek knows _the truth!_ “C-Craig is a _sweetheart_! After my nose got broken at homecoming, _he_ fixed it for me! Cleaned me up and put a splint on it! He even told me everything I needed to do to make sure it healed right since he’s broken his nose so many times from football! Sure, he has a mouth on him or-or will talk back at times in school, but Craig has _never_ put his hands on a single person to fight unless provoked. He has _never_ been with a girl! He’s a fucking _virgin_ , but that isn’t any of your business! He’s my-” Tweek choked back the word ‘ _boyfriend_ ’, swallowing hard before sniffling. “H-He’s my friend and-and I fucking hate that you’re so hard on him!”

Richard hummed as he Tweek finished his rant, dumping some beans into the grinder.

“I’ve known Thomas Tucker for a long time. If Craig is anything like his father was in high school, he’s exactly as people say.”

“Thomas Tucker is a _nice_ man and he has _never_ cast judgement on me the way you cast judgement on his son!” Tweek yelled, accusatory finger pointed towards his dad. “I heard you were like that too!”

“Yeah?! From who?!”

“From Mr. Tucker, stupid!”

“Don’t you call-!”

“The Tucker’s are so fucking nice, but you can’t seem to look past the rumors- _since that’s all they are!-_ in order to see that!”

Mary let out a sigh before settling a hand on her husband’s back, steam practically bellowing out of his ears. And yet-Richard pressed on.

“You need to watch your mouth. You never swear like that to us!”

“I swear all the fucking time! And I’m not swearing at _you_ , it’s the situation! GOD!” Tweek groaned out. He turned on his heel, tugging the shop door open a little too forcefully. “I’m going for a walk I’ll be back later!”

“Tweek where are you-?!”

“Let him go, Richard,” Mary finally said. “That was an unnecessary accusation to make.” Her eyes watched Tweek cross the road, heading towards _that_ side of town.

She knew he was going to the Tucker’s.

But she didn’t care.

“Mary, he-!”

“Is right, Richard. You’ve always had it out for Craig Tucker, and it isn’t right! Learn to make opinions about other people on your own and don’t rely on the rumor mills that fuel this fucking town!”

And that’s how Richard Tweak knew he _really_ fucked up: his wife swore at him.

_______________

It was the last week of October, but the air around Tweek could’ve fooled him into thinking it was almost December. Arms wrapped around himself, the blonde made his way across town to his boyfriend’s house. He didn’t know where else to go. It hurt _so much_ hearing his dad say those things about the Tucker’s. It hurts that he has his _first boyfriend_ and he can’t tell his parents! Granted, he wouldn’t out Craig, but he knows they’ll figure it out eventually!

Upon arriving at the beat-up red door of the Tucker household, Tweek opted to just try the knob instead of waiting for an answer. It was open-to his surprise-and Thomas looked up from his recliner and greet him with a smile.

“Hey kiddo! Didn’t expect to see you at-!” But then Tweek was hugging him, hugging him so tight that Thomas was afraid his bones would pop. “Hey-hey you alright?” He chuckled, happily returning the hug.

“…N-No.”

“C’mere.”

Thomas pulled back to motion to the couch, Tweek sniffling and rubbing at his eyes under his glasses.

“I-I’m sorry for barging in like this. I just…d-didn’t know where else to go!”

“Tweek, you know you’re always welcomed here now,” Thomas reminded him. “Now talk to me.”

“I-I just got in a fight with my dad…he-he makes me _so mad!_ All of his opinions on your family are based on rumors and-and he h-hates that I hang out with Craig again! It makes me nervous for when I eventually tell him I’m _dating him!”_ Instinctively, Tweek’s fingers twisted into his hair, pulling on the golden locks rather hard. Thomas gently coaxed his hands out of his hair before he spoke.

“Your father…he’s complicated. I told you about how he was always ornery, a jokester, partier, and everything in between! He was essentially the opposite of you in high school, and I don’t know what happened between now and then to get him to detest my family so much. I was never rude to him…well, at least that I can remember,” Tweek giggled a bit at that. “But what matters is that _you_ aren’t following in his footsteps in listening to the rumors. He’ll eventually come around… _hopefully_ , but don’t let him get you so worked up, Tweek. It isn’t worth stressing over.” 

“But…h-he freaks out at the prospect of me e-even _looking_ at Craig! Like-like a few weeks ago in church, I swear he was going to _crucify me_ because I kept staring at Craig across the pews!”

Thomas thought for a moment, carefully thinking about his words before continuing on.

“There comes a point where you’re going to have to make choices for _you_ rather than your parents…maybe this is the perfect instance for you to practice that decision making.”

Absorbing the words, Tweek slowly nodded as he let them soak into his skin and brain. After a moment, he smiled and gave a nod of his head.

“Thank you, Mr. Tucker…I-I appreciate that.”

Thomas ruffled his hair as he leaned on his crutch to stand, smiling gently before turning towards the kitchen.

“Anytime, kiddo. Craig’s in his room playing video games, I think.”

Giving a nod as one more silent thanks, Tweek made his way up the steps towards Craig’s room. He could hear him muttering to himself the closer he got to the door. Not bothering to knock again, Tweek walked into Craig’s room with his cheeks puffed out in frustration. Craig looked over after pausing his game. Seeing it was only Tweek, he unpaused it and lifted his head up and moved down the bed a bit. As he moved, Tweek kicked his shoes off and crawled onto the bed. He situated his legs so his thighs were on either side of Craig’s head, feet resting between his sides and arms. Once Tweek was comfortable, Craig laid his head on his stomach and hummed quietly as his boyfriend’s fingers started fidgeting with his hair. It was a calming technique that seemed to work on Tweek.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Craig eventually muttered, attention still on the video game. It was an old Nintendo Gamecube he got for fifty bucks at a yard sale, but it still did the job.

“My stupid dad,” Tweek grumbled. “He keeps saying mean things about you and your family and it just…pisses me off.”

This made Craig pause the game once more.

“…What kind of mean things?”

Tweek let out a sigh while his fingers twisted through Craig’s hair, watching the way the dark locks moved around his pale fingers.

“He just…doesn’t make opinions for himself and-and trusts everyone else’s word against mine. He thinks you’re nothing but-but a troublemaker…a whore, delinquent, someone who will amount t-to nothing,” Tweek nibbled on his lip, sniffling quietly. “C-Called your dad a drunk, and-”

“ _What_?”

Craig can take a lot of things. He can take being called a whore, troublemaker, delinquent, and a nobody. But he can’t take someone disrespecting his father like that.

“I-I…I-I know. I got _so mad_. I just-I left my shift at the shop. I couldn’t be around him.”

Craig hummed quietly, the sensation tickling Tweek’s thighs. He could feel Craig’s jaw clenching and unclenching, too.

“…Just know if I see your father anytime soon…I’ll have some choice words.”

Tweek blinked. That’s…not good.

“W-What? No! Craig- _please_ -your relationship with my father _is bad enough_! You-You don’t want to ruin any chances you may have!”

“From the sounds of it, he isn’t going to give me _any_ chances, Tweek,” Craig hissed out as he pushed himself into a sitting position. “Your father doesn’t like me and that’s _fine_ , but he’s not going to go around sharing that _fucking rumor_ about my dad anymore!”

Tweek sniffled before wiping a few stray tears off his cheeks, the sound snapping Craig back from his anger fueled ignorance before he realized something: his boyfriend needs comforting.

“I-I know. I-I’m-I’m sorry my d-dad is so-”

“Hey,” Craig’s voice was softer now, hands grabbing onto Tweek’s wrists and encouraging him to lie down. “Hey, it’s alright,” His thumbs moved lightly over the insides of his wrists, adding slight pressure to try and calm him down. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just…I’m real sensitive about things involving my family…”

“And-and I _love_ that about you, Craig,” Tweek whispered, reaching up to tuck some hair behind Craig’s ear. “I-It makes me feel… _safe_.”

“That’s why I’m here, darling,” Craig smiled before leaning their foreheads together. “To protect you.”

“I can take care of myself, _thank you very much_.”

“Mhm. I know,” He liked how Tweek closed his eyes as he kissed the tip of his nose. “You could really hurt someone.”

“That’s right… _but…I do enjoy being protected by you.”_ Tweek muttered, chuckling along with Craig.

“There’s a big game this week.”

“That’s right! If you win this game, you guys go to playoffs, right?”

“Uh huh,” Craig wrapped an arm around Tweek’s waist. “So… _ah_ , will you…wear my letterman jacket to the game?”

Tweek blinked a few times as his mind tried to comprehend the question.

Craig…wasn’t out.

Well, wasn’t out to anyone outside of him, his family, and Coach.

But…he wants Tweek to wear his letterman jacket… _to the game._

_Where people will see him._

_In **public.**_

Even though they were boyfriends now, Craig Tucker still confused the shit out of him sometimes.

“I… _yes_ , absolutely!”

Craig’s face looked like it would split in two at Tweek’s response. He couldn’t think of anything to say, so he kissed him. He kissed Tweek until he felt breathless and his shirt was discarded, but they only kissed considering they couldn’t stop smiling enough to do it properly.

* * *

Monday was _absolutely dragging_ , and Craig couldn’t explain why. But-seventh period rolled around-and that meant it was time for photography. He didn’t mind it considering it was a half a year class that ended in December before holiday break, but Craig took it because he heard great things about the teacher. Mr. Bloom was a young teacher-more than likely the youngest in the school in his late twenties-and he was a hit with all the students. No one ever had anything bad to say about him, and it was a damn miracle that Craig got into the fucking class. As he walked in, he couldn’t help but take note of the photos hanging up at the front of the room, taking his usual spot near the back right and humming in thought.

It was obvious Mr. Bloom was going to talk about the final assignment for the class, but what the project actually was…well, Craig couldn’t tell based off the images presented to them at the front.

“Afternoon, guys!” Mr. Bloom said while rushing back into the room. He no doubt had his fourth cup of coffee in his hand. The man had a Keurig in his room, for Christ’s sake. “So! I wanna jump right to it so I can let you guys wander the school if need be to get started on your final projects but take a look at the images I have hung up,” He motioned to them while leaning on his desk. “These are photos from my painting studio at home and from my garden. The final project can essentially be about _anything you want_ , but it somehow has to relate to you. If you have a hobby you want to show off: great! Maybe a sport! It can be a day in your life, even! Make it about _anything_ and be creative with it. There has to be a minimum of twenty photos and a maximum of thirty. You will be presenting your final projects during the Winter Art Show that takes place the second to last day of school before break. Everyone will get to display them as they please, but don’t forget a title for your display as well! Questions?” He paused a moment, sipping from his coffee while his eyes moved across his student’s faces. “No? Cool! I’ll be here but go take some photos or get inspired!”

“That’s it?” Stan asked suddenly, but he stood with everyone else.

“Yeah, Marsh! You should know by now my class is relaxed and allows everyone to do as they please creatively.”

“You just blew through that so fast.” He chuckled.

“This is my fifth cup of coffee today. Sorry,” Mr. Bloom laughed, waving as everyone filed out of the room with their cameras in hand. Everyone-that is-except Craig Tucker, who sat staring at his desk in the back of the room. Humming softly, Mr. Bloom walked slowly towards the football player. “Didn’t you hear, Tucker? Go take some-”

“I-I don’t know…if I can do this project.”

Blinking, Mr. Bloom set his cup of coffee aside on a desk and sat in the chair in front of Craig.

“Everything okay?”

Craig nibbled on his lip, fingers gripping at the top of his desk as he tried to calm down. Why was he getting so worked up over this?! This was so stupid to be upset over!

But…

“I…I can’t take photos of my home…it-it’s embarrassing.”

“Doesn’t have to be your home, Craig. You could do football!”

“But football… _isn’t my whole life_ ,” He admitted, looking up finally at his teacher. “It-I enjoy it, _sure_ , but recently something _more important_ is in my life but…I-I don’t know if I can share…”

Mr. Bloom blinked, frowning suddenly.

“Craig…are you…doing something that could harm you?”

“W-What?! No! I just-” And as Craig looked his teacher fully in the face, a sense of safety and trust washed over him. Mr. Bloom has been nothing but a positive energy in Craig’s life…he was trustworthy, kind…someone Craig could tell anything. So…he did. “I-I’m gay.” His eyes widened a bit as he said it, swallowing hard and looking back down at his desk. Mr. Bloom didn’t react at first, but his face slowly crawled into a smile as the pieces connected in his head.

“How many people know?”

“W-Well…you…my parents and sister…Coach…and…m-my… _boyfriend_.”

“…He’s the more important thing than football, huh?”

“… _Yes_.”

Sipping at his coffee once more, Mr. Bloom clasped a hand on Craig’s shoulder, watching his student look up at him with timid eyes.

“Don’t you think it’s time that people know the _real_ Craig Tucker? Don’t you want to be able to hold his hand down the hall here- _assuming he attends the school_ -after you get back from holiday break? Let him wear your letterman jacket freely? Give him a kiss before class?”

The longer the list went on, the more Craig’s face seemed to light up at the prospect.

“W-Well…yeah…”

“So, use this project as an opportunity to show _you_. Not what everyone sees now… _but you_.”

The lump in Craig’s throat kept him quiet, but he nodded his head and gave a small smile.

“T-Thank you… _thank you_ ,” A pause. “B-But don’t-!”

“Your secret is safe with me, Tucker,” And then a pinky was held out towards him, Craig chuckling quietly as he linked pinkies with his teacher. “Pinky promise.”

* * *

The rest of the week, Craig started trying to take photos that really showed who he _actually_ was. Sure, he was also focusing on the big game this Friday, but these photos suddenly became an important factor of his daily routine. Tweek even got in on the fun once Craig explained the idea he had in his head on what to display and how.

But now it was Friday and the final bell of the day just rang. The football players and cheerleaders were going right to the field to get some last-minute practice in before the game. Craig needed to make a pitstop, however, after he grabbed a few things from his locker. Before he put his backpack on, he shrugged his letterman jacket off and made his way towards the locker-room. Thankfully, his pitstop so happened to be along the way. Carefully, Craig gently laid the letterman jacket across Tweek’s shoulders as he walked past. He couldn’t stop considering it would one: look suspicious if he stopped after giving Tweek his jacket and two: was already running late.

Tweek blinked as he felt something rest across is shoulders, hand coming up to gently touch the jacket and look down at it. Once it clicked as to what it was, he looked down the hall to see Craig looking over his shoulder. He tossed a quick wink his way before turning forward, and then he was out of sight.

The weight and warmth that came from the jacket made Tweek smile, arms carefully sliding into the too big sleeves and wrapping them around himself. The number 33 stood out to him on the sleeve, making his throat tighten with excitement and just absolute _adoration_ as he made his way to the parking lot to meet up with the girls (minus Pip, who was at practice). He could tell they were staring at him as he walked from the school, their eyes wide once he finally reached them.

“Do you…mind explaining this?” Bebe motioned to the jacket, Tweek looking down at it with a smile. He didn’t realize he was practically at his knees.

“I was cold.” He lied.

“So, he just…let you keep it?”

“For now. He had to rush to practice. Said he’ll either get it after the game or tomorrow.” Instinctively, Tweek held onto the jacket a little tighter once he wrapped his arms around himself. He didn’t want to give this up.

The jacket wasn’t just _a jacket_. It was a symbol to him; a symbol that Craig-despite not being out-still wanted to show him off. That Craig didn’t care about others and the rumors enough to give Tweek a memory he has always _dreamed_ of experience.

It made Tweek fall even more and more in _love_ with him.

But then Tweek suddenly realized… _he was in love._

He was _so fucking in love_ that he barely realized his heart has been hammering against his chest for way too long. He barely noticed the way his legs felt shaky as the scent of Craig’s cologne wafted up from the jacket each time he moved.

Tweek was in love with his best friend now boyfriend and he wanted to scream it to the world!...but he resisted the urge.

For Craig’s sake.

The conversation didn’t carry on much from there, but the group enjoyed a nice dinner at the local diner to kill time before the game. Tweek just wished he was able to tell Craig ‘ _good luck_ ’ before the game, considering he knows how important this is for him. Once they finished eating, the hustle and bustle of the town gravitated towards the high school football stadium. Tweek and the girls took their usually spot higher up in the stands, their eyes scanning the field for their friends as the guys started warming up.

Meanwhile, Craig felt like he was going to throw up. No amount of stretching or warm-up plays will ever make him feel prepared for this game. It was an evenly matched game, considering that both South Park High and the opposing team were 7-2. But tonight was _so important_. They’ve never actually gone to playoffs during Craig’s time here. They almost did his sophomore year, but they choked in _this exact game_ and lost in the last quarter.

Craig said he didn’t care if they went to playoffs or not at the beginning of the season, but he takes that back.

He cares.

He cares _a lot_ and he just wants to at least be able to say he was _in the playoffs_. Besides, college recruiters go to playoff games! Maybe this is his way out of South Park, or at least a shot at college. 

“You alright, dude?”

Craig jumped slightly as Damien sat next to him on the bench, Craig giving a small nod of his head.

“Yeah…just nervous.”

“Me too…but hey, whatever happens happens, right?”  
“I guess so, man. I just…wanna be able to say we were in the playoffs…”

Damien gave a small smile, looking down at his shoes.

“Yeah…I feel you on that one.”

The team did a few more rounds of warm-ups before making their way back into the locker-room, but Craig’s eyes wandered around the crowd in the stands. He found Tweek rather easily since he’s in the same spot each time he comes. He looked so _cute_ in his letterman jacket. But then his eyes kept wandering in an effort to find his parents.

He saw them, but a few rows down was Richard and Mary Tweak.

And Craig couldn’t figure out why, but he had a hunch that each time Richard Tweak turned his head backwards slightly, it was to steal a glance at his parents.

He really hoped he was wrong.

* * *

Two minutes left of the game.

South Park was up by two.

They either needed to keep the other team from scoring or get one more touchdown to widen the gap between the scores.

Despite this important-and _crucial_ -final two minutes, Craig’s head was foggy with frustration. Throughout the game, he couldn’t stop stealing glances at Richard Tweak. The words that Tweek mentioned to him kept ringing in his head.

_Whore._

_Delinquent._

_Troublemaker._

_A nobody._

**_A drunk_ ** _._

“Tucker!”

Craig gasped as Stan elbowed him in the side. Looking up, Craig narrowed his eyes a bit after letting his mouth guard fall from his mouth.

“Fucking what?!”

“Did you even fucking hear the play I called?!”

Craig wanted to say something smart, but he simply grunted and shook his head before putting his mouthpiece back in.

“You’re slipping.” Damien muttered to him before Stan ran the play once more. As they lined up for the snap, Craig watched the way his hand spread across the Astroturf as he prepared to take off in the opposite direction he was facing. The sensation of the faux grass under his hand suddenly felt so _new_ despite having felt it a thousand some times.

_Whore._

Craig let out a sigh as his brain still ran rampant with distractions, fingers gripping more at the Astroturf.

_Delinquent._

“ _HIKE!”_

Craig gasped as everyone moved, taking off in the direction he needed to go a moment after everyone else. He ran and ran and _ran_ , but he couldn’t reach his spot in time in order to cover Token. Swearing under his breath as he saw his friend get tackled, Craig gritted his mouth guard as he heard Coach shout his name. _Mother fucker…_

Making his way over after the ref whistled to signal a time out, Craig tried to prepare himself for the onslaught he was about to receive from his Coach.

His eyes couldn’t help but wander towards Richard Tweak as he walked.

“What the _fuck_ was that?” Coach muttered between them, face close to Craig’s helmet so he could really hear everything he said.

“ _Sorry_ , I just-”

“You’re off your game. You have been this entire quarter. What the fuck changed from the first three quarters of the game?!”

Craig opened his mouth to talk, but his eyes kept darting between Coach Taylor and Richard Tweak.

But this time, Richard stared back.

“… _Just…personal things…”_

Coach Taylor watched the way Craig’s eyes couldn’t stop darting behind them, his head turning to follow his stare. He recognized the Tucker’s, but a few rows down seemed to be a man burning holes into Craig’s chest. Turning forward, Coach stepped a little closer.

“…Is that your little boyfriend’s dad?”

Craig choked slightly on his words, clearing his throat before giving a curt nod of his head.

“… _Yes, sir.”_

“And why do I get the feeling he’s the reason you’re so distracted right now?”

“Because… _you’d be correct_.”

“Does he not like you?” Craig shook his head, which made Coach look down at his playbook. Pointing to a play they haven’t done in _a long time_ , he chuckled as he looked up at Craig. “What do you say?”

Craig blinked in surprise.

“You think we can do it?”

“I know _you_ can do it. You’re the only fullback that’s successfully completed this play each and every time.”

“But Damien-!”

“Can do it too, I know. But your accuracy is better. Don’t you wanna stick it to the man? Show him just who you are?”

Craig stared at Coach Taylor in disbelief. The prospect of solidifying their win and showing to Richard Tweak that he _can_ be somebody…

“Yeah,” Craig gave a few nods of his head. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

Coach gave the top of Craig’s helmet a smack, grin on his face as he watched his fullback run onto the field. As Craig approached the rest of the team, Stan smacked his arm again.

“Dude, are you fucking good? What the fuck was-?!”

“We’re doing the SP Special.”

Stan blinked, grin making his way across his face.

“ _Wait_ , really?”

“Are you down, Marsh?”

Stan just nodded, grin on his face as he turned to pass the news to the rest of the team.

“SP Special, guys.” Stan said matter of factly, the rest of the team growing excited as they got in position. There was one-minute left on the clock now.

This play had to work.

They were on the fourth down, so if they didn’t get this, they give the opposing team a chance to score.

Stan didn’t take his usually spot, instead standing more to the right where Craig usually stands. Token took Stan’s place to receive the ball on the spike, Craig standing where Token usually does.

Grin on his face, Stan gave a nod to both Token and Craig before sucking in a deep breath.

“ _SET HIKE!”_

Craig took off running past the players, Stan blocking the one guy that was close enough to potentially tackle him. Token kept his eye on Craig, taking a few steps back before throwing the ball down the field.

He was wide open.

No one could touch him.

_Troublemaker._

Craig grunted as he turned, watching the ball get closer to him.

And-as his right foot crossed the white endzone line-a shaky breath passed his lips.

_A nobody_.

The ball was a little too high to land comfortably in his arms, fingers stretching until he felt the rough texture of the football.

**_A nobody_**.

But Craig Tucker just became a somebody.

A somebody who managed to jump up enough to let the ball hit his palm, arm pulling the football down so it rested against his chest.

A somebody who dropped to his knees as he solidified their chances of going to the playoffs, grin so wide on his face as he turned to see his teammates and coaches running towards him in the endzone. The clock kept ticking at this point, the last twenty seconds ticking away while South Park celebrated.

They did it.

_He_ did it.

They were going to playoffs!

Craig’s eyes darted to the crowd, his parents grinning and cheering with everyone else. Then they moved to Tweek, who was hugging the jacket so tight to his body as he grinned. Craig thought his face may split in half.

He wanted to hold onto Tweek _so bad_ , to give his dad a hug and his mother a kiss as they said _how proud they were of him_. He wanted to see his sister and Pip and the rest of his friends up those stands.

But-as Craig pushed his way through to the spectators with the rest of the team, he found himself standing in front of someone he didn’t think his body would take him to.

“Am I still a nobody?”

Richard blinked as he looked away from Mrs. Testaburger, eyes looking Craig up and down as he let out a soft laugh.

“And what exactly are you talking about?”

“Maybe I should ask again,” Craig bent down so he was eye level with Mr. Tweak, discarding his helmet so he can really get a good look at Craig’s face. This way he can see how much Craig has _changed_ in the past eight years. “Am I still a nobody? A whore? Delinquent? Troublemaker?”

Richard looked at him in disbelief, arms crossing over his chest.

“I have no idea what you’re referring to, _Mr. Tucker_.”

“But you do,” Craig laughed. “You do and the fact you’re not admitting to anything is _fucking bullshit!”_

Richard raised an eyebrow towards Craig, eyes narrowing.

“You better watch that mouth of yours. I know you’ve been hanging out with my son more and if you want my approval, this is no way-”

“To fucking _hell_ with your approval! You’ll never like me and _that’s fine_! But what I don’t understand is how you can fall victim to these _rumors so easily!_ My dad is _not_ a drunk. I’m not some _cheap whore_ or-or a _delinquent_! I’ve never been in trouble _once_ with the law or-or school. I’ve never slept with anybody- _not that that’s any of your business._ ” Craig gritted out between his teeth.

“Fine then,” Richard sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But that doesn’t explain why your father has been out of a job for years. People notice those kinds of things. You will too once you _grow up_.”

Tweek had been making his way over towards the Tucker’s once he saw Craig leave the field, but he in no way expected to see his boyfriend _inches_ from his father’s face.

“…Do you want to know the truth? _Do you want to know the truth?!_ My dad **_CAN’T_** work because some stupid fuck in this down got piss DRUNK and hit the side of his car! Did you know it flipped four-maybe even five!-times?! Or did you know he was legally pronounced dead for five minutes once they found him?! And that it took ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES to bring him back?! Now you do! OH! Not to mention the fact he couldn’t walk for six months since he was paralyzed from the waist down! But you probably didn’t know that since all you gathered from anyone in this town were _stupid fucking rumors!_

Or what about the fact my mom now works TWO JOBS in order to provide for not only my sister and I, but my father so we can try and live the best we can. While we’re at it, did you know we moved to _that_ side of town because we sold our house on Chestnut Street in order to pay for the medical expenses we gained in order to save my father’s life?! We’re _dirt poor,_ Mr. Tweak, and yet I still managed to scrape together _five fucking dollars_ to get iced tea from your coffee shop because _your son asked me to!_ Because I work three nights a week working overnight shifts at the car dealership in town. Eighty percent of MY paychecks I give to my parents to put towards water, electricity, groceries, mortgage, or left-over medical bills.

Hanging out with your son has been the only sentiment of joy in my life lately. And the fact _you_ want to take that away from me-when I have never done one single _fucking thing_ to you-is why I’m _done_. It’s why I’m _fed up_ and _exhausted_ of finding out time after _time_ that you’ve disrespected not only _me_ , but my _family_ behind our backs! News flash, asshole,” Craig ignored the angry tears on his cheeks as he sucked in a deep breath. “M-My dad is more of a man than _anyone_ in-in this _stupid fucking town_! Even more than _me!_ I-I’d be lucky enough to be a fraction of the man my dad is, and for _you_ to spread something so _nasty_ such as that rumor you share about him… _f-fuck you._ I-I don’t care if you forbid me from entering your coffee shop, or-or from seeing Tweek every again. B-But you know the fucking truth now, so please… _p-please…stop sharing those fucking rumors._ If-If not for me, then for Tweek, b-because _I fucking love him_ in ways you won’t understand, and I hate seeing him so upset over something his father said or did.”

Craig didn’t even wait for a response, embarrassment flushing his face red as he sniffled. He found his parents with Tricia now, collapsing against his dad’s side and letting out a sob.

Tweek heard everything.

He heard every word and it left him feeling breathless and _horrified_ all at the same time.

Should Craig have yelled at his dad like that? Absolutely not. But he understands _why_ and can’t be mad at him for that. Carefully pushing his way up to the Tucker’s, Tweek wrapped an arm around Tricia as he reached them. She gave a small smile down towards him once she saw it was Tweek, sighing quietly.

“… _You heard him_?”

Tweek just nodded, giving Craig a small smile as he finally lifted his head from his dad’s shoulder.

And-as Craig wrapped his arms tight around him-Tweek held on a little tighter than usual, just in case it was the last time.

It was a little difficult considering the football pads, but Tweek didn’t care. He couldn’t help but press a kiss to Craig’s cheek, the padding offering some privacy and the kiss salty from his tears and sweat.

There-in the twenty fifth row of the home side bleachers-Craig heard the words he so desperately wanted to hear from somebody- _anybody_ -tonight.

But the fact Tweek said it to him?

It just made it all the better.

“ _I love you so much, Craig. I’m so proud of you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay ~listen~ I said i was gonna go write for Honey, Honey and then I never wrote anything and came right back here LOLLLL  
> But in all seriousness, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!   
> I've had this chapter planned for a long time and I just,,,have a real fun time writing Craig if you haven't noticed.  
> I hope to write for Honey, Honey next time, but I've just been SOO MOTIVATED with writing this story so I apologize for the delay on my other stories! 
> 
> OH OH! The winning football play is a slight variation to the Eagle's LEGENDARY FOOTBALL PLAY "The Philly Special" or simply "Philly Philly". It was a pleasure watching it in the Super Bowl.   
> Here's a link if you wanna see it!   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XmhBaUdges
> 
> Any and all feedback is appreciated, and until next time!! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Check out my tumblr and twitter! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:  
> crowded-skies.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter:  
> https://twitter.com/craigorytucker

The weight lifted off of Craig’s shoulders almost immediately after he yelled at Richard Tweak. Yes: he shouldn’t have yelled at him in public like that, but his emotions were running rampant from the win. The combination of the high he felt from victory and the sight of Tweek in his letterman jacket made his brain say that enough was _enough_. Thankfully, Tweek wasn’t mad at him…well, _too_ mad at him. He heard an earful on the ride over to the Tucker’s house, but by the time they crossed into the other side of town, Tweek was whispering how _proud_ he was of Craig for winning the game for South Park.

It made his vision spot with stars and hearts-which was risky considering he was driving-but Craig couldn’t stop the dopey smile that sat on his face while his boyfriend pressed kiss after kiss to his cheek.

“I’m planning on winning every football game if this is how affectionate you are afterwards.” Craig muttered as he pulled up to his house. The smile against his face made his heart flutter.

“I just…I can’t help it! _My boyfriend_ took South Park to the playoffs. I just… _that’s so amazing_.”

Now that they were finally stopped, Tweek used the hand he had resting on Craig’s other cheek to turn his head, pressing their lips together in a delicate kiss. It was dark outside and no one else was around since they beat the other Tucker’s home, so a little kiss wasn’t going to kill Craig. And by the sound of surprise that left his lips, Tweek knew it was a nice way of congratulating him on a job well done tonight. The air was silent around them except for the soft smack of their lips, Craig humming quietly after a moment and tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Now _Tweek_ was caught off guard, gasping before grabbing onto Craig’s shoulders and pulling back.

“What’s up?” Craig mumbled. His lips were already a little red from kissing, which just made Tweek laugh a little.

“N-Nothing! I-I just-why don’t we go inside, yeah? It’s getting chilly and-and I just…wanna lie down with you…”

Craig blinked at Tweek a few times, but the gentle touch along his cheek snapped him back into reality.

“Oh! Yes!” Was all he managed to get out before tumbling from his truck. The sight made Tweek giggle quietly, jumping down and grabbing onto Craig’s hand once it was offered to him. It was instinctual at this point the way Craig always held his hand out to him once they got out of his truck.

“Where are your parents and sister?” Tweek asked, noticing that the other Tucker’s should’ve been here by now.

“Probably out to dinner. The Applebees said if the Cows won this week, any family to a player gets a free meal.”

“Well…that’s nice,” A pause. “Didn’t you want to go?”

“Nah. Applebees will always be there, but I wanna spend time with you.”

Tweek stared up at his boyfriend, green eyes big as the door finally opened in front of them. It was still so exciting every time Craig said he wanted to spend time with him.

“Oh! Um…well, in-in _that case_ …um…”

“What’s wrong? You’re turning all red.” Craig teased, pinching Tweek’s cheek before moving to shrug his jacket off.

“Do you wanna shower together?!” Tweek blurted out. He didn’t mean to ask it like that, so he quickly slammed his hands over his mouth and shouted into his palms. “SORRY I-I didn’t mean to- _ohmygod-_ I-I just figured since-since n-no one is home-!”

“Tweek,” Craig gently coaxed his hands away, holding onto Tweek’s wrists and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “ _Please_ can we do that?”

“O-Only if you want to…”

Tweek watched as Craig guided his hand to rest over his crotch, the blonde gasping quietly as he felt that Craig was already a little hard in his pants.

“The thought alone is turning me on.”

Blinking a few times, Tweek looked up to meet Craig’s gaze.

They hadn’t seen each other fully naked before. The closest they’ve gotten was one time a few weeks ago when they were making out in their underwear and Craig slid his hand down Tweek’s boxers. But they never fully took their boxers off to jerk off, too frantic to worry about that as they touched one another.

“I-I don’t know if-if I’m ready for _everything_ , I-I just-”

“I don’t expect sex from you,” Craig assured, fingers playing gently with the curls at the base of Tweek’s neck. “We take things slow. I promised you that from the start, didn’t I?” Tweek nodded. “And I don’t break my promises.”

Shaky breath passing his lips, Tweek smiled before nodding his head. They walked upstairs together, shrugging their shirts off as they walked into the bathroom. The sound of the door being locked behind him made Tweek whine quietly, Craig’s hands running over his now bare torso as he smiled.

“You have such a nice smile.” Tweek found himself whispering. Craig nibbled on his bottom lip, chuckle rumbling his chest as he tugged Tweek closer by his belt loops.

“And you have such a nice face,” Craig said. “So many freckles to kiss and _so_ little time.”

Green eyes fluttered shut as Craig’s lips pressed against Tweek’s nose gently, moving onto his cheek and along his jaw.

“You don’t have to kiss them all.”

“I know,” Craig lifted his head to look at his face while his hands worked on undoing Tweek’s belt. “But it’s fun. I like kissing them all.”

“Do you think you’d ever kiss them all?”

“Considering they go onto your neck, shoulders, arms, and chest? I don’t know. It seems _impossible_ ,” A pause, Craig smiling as he gently tugged on Tweek’s pants and underwear. “But I’m up for the challenge. It will take some time…but you have to let me stick around for that long.”

Tweek hummed in his throat, arms wrapping around Craig’s neck to balance himself while stepping out of his pants and underwear. All he could do is nod towards Craig; voice caught in his throat as he couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

“O-Okay,” He eventually choked out, hands moving to untie Craig’s sweatpants. Taking the opportunity to watch, Craig tried to keep his breath steady while he watched the way Tweek pushed his pants and underwear down. It was comical in a way how Tweek’s eyes widened under his glasses at the sight of Craig’s dick. It wasn’t his first time seeing it, but it was still a surprise.

“You’ve seen my dick countless times now, darling.” Craig teased, setting Tweek’s glasses aside gently on the countertop before turning the water on. He knew they couldn’t spend super long in the shower considering the water bill would be run up, but they could spend at least ten to fifteen minutes under the water.

“I-I know! It-It’s just… _intimidating_ seeing _all_ of you for the-the first time, is all…,” Tweek admitted, looping his index fingers together nervously and resting the knot against his stomach. “You’re just… _you_ … _so…so beautiful_ , and-and I’m… _me_.”

Craig blinked as he pulled the little plug to switch to the shower, grabbing Tweek’s wrist lightly and guiding him towards the tub.

“And what _is_ you, Tweek?” Craig asked. The water felt nice against his sore body, soft sigh passing his lips once they were both in the shower. Tweek waited until the curtain was pulled shut before speaking again.

“W-Well…you have _muscles_ …I don’t. You’re _so tall_ …I’m not. You’re fit and-and lean…I-I’m…not? Like- _ah_ -I’m not… _fat_ , per say, but I-I’m also not skinny by any means. L-Like my thighs touch and-and I have a little bit of a stomach. O-Oh! And-and my face is rounder than-than say- _ah_ -Pip’s, you k-know? So, I just…I dunno… _never mind_ , it-I’m just being fucking stupid.” He scoffed, arms wrapping around his middle to try and hide himself. Craig took a moment to just look at his boyfriend while he looked at his feet, warmth blossoming in his chest as he watched his hair grow flatter from being saturated with water. After a moment, Craig carefully turned Tweek so he was against the wall, the water still hitting their shoulders while Craig spoke.

“Wanna know what I think?”

“… _Well…not really, but sure.”_

Craig chuckled quietly as he pushed Tweek’s hair out of his face, those impossibly big green eyes looking everywhere but his face.

“…Look at me, darling,” And he did, tears sitting in the corner of those beautiful eyes. “I think you’re so perfect. I mean it. I love your thighs. Having them on either side of my head while I play video games is like… _my favorite fucking thing!_ And-and your stomach? _Fuck_ , I could kiss it for hours. I love grabbing your hips and feeling you squirm, feeling _you_ in general against me. Touching you and-and feeling your body against mine…it fucking just-it’s this _indescribable thing_ for me! I-I just feel so-so _alive_ and it makes me forget-even for a moment-the shitty things happening in my life!”

Tweek felt like he couldn’t breathe as he listened to Craig ramble on about how much he basically _adored_ him for _who he was_.

The hottest guy in school loved him for who he was.

The hottest guy in school was standing naked in front of him in the shower.

The hottest guy in school is _his_ boyfriend.

And-there in the solitude offered by the water-Tweek found his voice.

“I-I love you,” He felt his eyes widen as the words fell from his lips. Sure, he mentioned it at the football stadium, but he meant it now. “I-I’ve loved you since we-we were ten years old playing near Stark’s Pond. I-I’ve loved you since you-you defended me that day on the playground when Cartman and Kenny kept taking my thermos and played keep-away with it. I’ve-I’ve loved you for so long that I never had eyes for anyone else. E-Even though I-I thought you-you were straight and would never love me more than just as a friend…I-I still thought of you every _fucking night_ and would _cry_ over the prospect of never knowing what it was like to be loved back by you!”

A sob passed by Tweek’s lips, lurching up to meet Craig’s lips as he saw him bend down. Feeling his boyfriend clutch at his face as if he’d disappear once their eyes opened…it made Tweek feel on top of the world. A soft whine passed his lips once Craig pulled back moments later, forehead immediately resting against Tweek’s in order to remain close to him.

“I’ve loved you since you sat next to me in Garrison’s homeroom in fourth grade. I didn’t know it at the time, but I loved you _so much_ that it blinded me at times. You just…I-I admired you _a lot_ for just being unafraid to be yourself. It-It was mesmerizing and wonderful all at the same time. And-and I just continue to love you _more and more_ each day…I-I can’t stop it anymore. It-it’s just become something I can’t stop, and I-I don’t want it to stop any time soon.” Craig admitted, breath growing shakier as his emotions started to consume him. And-as Tweek’s fingers tangled into his hair and arms wrapped around his neck-Craig let his body succumb to the young man in front of him.

“ _So don’t stop it_.”

Feeling Craig’s arms under his thighs made Tweek gasp, the sensation of being lifted up foreign. yet so exciting to him. The kiss was gentle despite the emotional proclamation moments prior, but neither seemed to care. It was what the moment called for and that was more than okay. Carefully pulling back after some time, Craig couldn’t stop the smile that naturally spread across his face before setting Tweek down.

“Why don’t we get cleaned up then lie down, yeah? Tell your folks you’re at Wendy’s and stay here with me.” He suggested, kissing gently up Tweek’s neck. His tongue darted out only for a moment to catch a stray drop of water, the sensation making Tweek yelp quietly.

“I… _yeah_ okay that- _yeah_.” He whispered, huff of air passing his lips once the warmth of Craig’s breath left his neck. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, but that combined with the heat of the water and the press of Craig’s half hard dick against his leg was making him feel dizzy. After a quick shower that was as quick as possible considering the stolen kisses, the two boys gathered their clothes and shuffled down the hall to Craig’s room. Craig got changed first, opting just for a clean pair of sweatpants with no underwear. Then-before lying down-he tossed a t-shirt over towards Tweek for him to wear as well. It was a colder night, so-despite how much Craig would love to sleep naked with his boyfriend-they wouldn’t be comfortable in the long run. Tweek looked at himself in the mirror now, towel drying his hair to make sure it didn’t get too frizzy.

“You’re adorable.”

Tweek jumped slightly at the sound of Craig’s voice. Turning, he chuckled quietly and tugged the neck of the too big shirt up off his bicep and back on his shoulder.

“You’re handsome.”

Craig shrugged his shoulders while lifting his arm up to offer a spot for Tweek, the blonde resting his head against his chest and draping his arm across Craig’s stomach. The two sat in silence now, Craig’s eyes fluttering shut while his fingers ran up and down his boyfriend’s spine. The silence was very comforting in an odd way.

“Hey Tweek?”

“Yeah Craig?”

“You’re staying over, right?”

Tweek chuckled quietly at the request. Even though Craig had mentioned it earlier, he still hadn’t called his parents to fib about where he was at.

“I’ll call my mom in a little. I just wanna lie here with you for now.”

Craig hummed as a quiet response, but the soft hum of a phone vibrating made his eyes flutter open.

“Seems as if your mother might be calling _you._ ”

The hum finally hit Tweek’s ears after a moment. Sitting up, he let out a huff of air as he looked at the screen of his phone for a second before answering.

“Your ears must’ve been burning! I was just gonna call you.” Tweek laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“ _Oh, you know me! Just…needed to check up on you, is all!”_

There was a familiar hint of something in his mother’s voice that made Tweek sit up a little straighter.

“Well…that’s very thoughtful of you,” A pause. “Are you okay?”

“ _I’m fine! I just…dammit, your father is at it again.”_

The words felt heavy on his shoulders.

“…He is, huh? That’s the third time this week.” Tweek laughed harshly, standing suddenly with a heavy sigh. He pressed his phone against his shoulder to hold it against his ear while he tied his shoes.

“ _I-I know. You know this time of year is always worse for some reason…”_

“Yeah yeah,” He muttered, running a hand through his curls before adjusting his glasses. The creak of the bed made him jump slightly, but it was just Craig sitting up. “Listen, I’ll be home in about fifteen minutes.”

“ _You don’t have to-!”_

_“_ I’m not leaving you alone with him, mom…I’ll be home.”

“ _…Stay safe, honey.”_

Tweek hung up without another word. His body slumped after he did so, head falling into his hands as he scrubbed at his eyes under his glasses.

“Um…I-I-can you drive me home, Craig?...Please?” Tweek whispered.

Craig observed how Tweek’s entire demeaner shifted. A frown crossed his face the closer to got to his boyfriend, kneeling down in front of him and grabbing his hands.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

And-as expected-Tweek shook his head.

“Not yet…one day soon…but not now…”

Craig just nodded to let him know he understood, kissing Tweek’s hands before standing.

“C’mon, beautiful. I’ll take you home. Maybe some other night you can stay.”

“…That sounds nice, Craig.”

The walk out to Craig’s truck felt much longer than Tweek remembered, but once in the safety of the familiar passenger seat, he felt a little lighter.

“You can put whatever music you want on. I don’t use it often, but I have an aux for the radio. It’s old, but it works.” Craig offered. The hopeful smile on his face pulled one across Tweek’s own face, soft laugh passing his lips while he nodded.

“Didn’t know you had such fancy technology in your truck.”

“It was a birthday gift a few years ago, smartass.” Craig chuckled. As he pulled away from his house, Craig couldn’t help but wrack his brain as to what could possibly be eating Tweek up. He didn’t want to pry-of course-since Tweek was considerate of his own privacy. But…whatever _this_ was…it completely drained any sentiment of happiness out of Tweek.

He said one day soon he would tell Craig…but part of him was wishing it was today.

“Oh!” Tweek suddenly gasped, grin on his face now. “I forgot about this song! I haven’t heard it in so long!” He laughed, turning up the knob on the radio.

Craig didn’t know the song. All he knew was that it made Tweek very happy to hear it, so that made him happy.

“I’m surprised you listen to music like this.”

“It’s not like it’s hardcore rock and roll!” Tweek scoffed. “Here! Hold my legs!”

“Twe-WAIT! What are you-?!”

“Pay attention to the road!”

Sliding the back window open, Tweek crawled out until he was safely in the bed of the truck, feeling Craig’s arm wrap around his thighs as he carefully stood up.

“What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!” Craig shouted over the wind.

“Maybe I am, Tucker!” Tweek laughed, head tossing back as the chorus of the song hit.

And-as the lyrics hit his ears-everything felt like it was in slow motion for Craig. The feeling of Tweek’s thighs against his bicep as he held onto him; the sound of Tweek’s laughter; the brisk air on his hand; and then…the lyrics.

_I didn’t know I was lonely till I saw your face_

For some reason-in that very moment-those words hit him like a brick. The brief moment he glanced in his rearview mirror and saw Tweek made his heart swell with so much love that he was afraid it would burst.

But Tweek was taking his moment of solitude to let out a few sobs, the wind masking the sound as Craig continued to drive back to his house. It was nice considering he didn’t want to dive into the details as to why he was currently on the brink of a panic attack, so he figured standing in the bed of a moving truck would be a nice form of therapy.

But it was a weird combination of a sad and happy cry, however. Because he really was so happy. _So…unbelievably happy._ He was so in love and so _loved_ by Craig. But…he was sad: sad he had to go home and see his father. He loved his dad-don’t get him wrong-but…not when he gets like this.

* * *

Each parting kiss was never good enough for Tweek. They’ve been a few doors down from his house for about five minutes now, and Tweek just couldn’t seem to get enough of Craig’s kisses. Finally, it was Craig who pulled back just a little to speak.

“If you keep kissing me like this, I’ll get fucking hard.” He laughed breathlessly, hand grabbing at the back of Tweek’s head.

“That- _oh!_ -that’s okay.” Tweek breathed out.

“But you have to go,” Craig reminded him. “We can pick up where we left off next time.”

Tweek nibbled on his bottom lip.

“What if…we went _past_ that?”

“What? Kissing?”

“Kissing and-and _touching_ …what if we… _had sex?”_

Craig pulled back more now, eyes slightly wide as he stared at his boyfriend for a moment. It wasn’t an absurd question. Sure, they’ve only been official now for almost three months, but their relationship was much deeper than that due to their past.

“Are you…is-is that something you _want_?”

“Y-Yes! W-Well… _I-I don’t know_. I’ve been thinking about it more and-and it doesn’t seem so scary like it used to for me when I thought about it. Maybe it’s b-because it’s you? I-I’m not sure, but-”

“Tweek,” Craig said softly, grabbing onto his hands and kissing his nose. “Breathe, yeah?” Slowly, Tweek took a few calming breaths in and out of his nose, dropping his forehead to rest against Craig’s jaw.

“ _I’m sorry_.”

“Baby, don’t apologize,” Craig whispered while his hand moved up and down Tweek’s back. “We can talk more tomorrow if you want. I-I’m not…not _opposed_ to the idea. You already know I’m _insanely attracted_ to you.”

Tweek’s face bloomed with warmth at the comment while a laugh bubbled out of him.

“I-I know…I feel the same.”

“Now c’mere,” Tilting his face up by grabbing under Tweek’s chin, Craig pressed a few quick pecks to his lips before fully pulling away. “It’s time for you to go now.”

“Can I maybe call you in a bit?”

“How about I call you when I wake up? I’m feeling pretty tired.” Craig said through a yawn. Tweek just smiled as he watched him for a moment, nodding and kissing his cheek one last time.

“Get home safe!”

Tweek waved over his shoulder to Craig as he made his way back to his house, smiling once he got to his front door. That’s when Craig left-which cause a wave of security to wash over him for some reason. It was nice knowing his boyfriend waited until he was safe at his door before leaving.

But-as he pushed his front door open-the scent of vodka washed that sense of safety away.

“ _OH!_ It-my _son!_ ”

Tweek flinched as he watched his dad try and stand up, rushing over and forcing him back into his seat before he stumbled over his own feet.

“Hi dad,” Tweek sighed out, nose scrunching as the smell only grew stronger the closer he was to his dad. “What did you go and do after the game?”

“Schwell!” Richard smacked his lips together a few times before taking a long sip of his drink, grunting as Tweek took it from him. “I went and-and got a few drinks with my friends since-since _your_ lil’ buddy _Craig_ decided to-to complete _humiliate me_ tonight.”

“He didn’t humiliate you, dad. In fact, you humiliated him time and time again by spreading awful rumors about him, so you kind of deserved it.”

“ _Deserved it?_ ”

“Yes!” Tweek sighed, turning and walking back out into the living room after dumping what smelt like straight vodka down the sink. “You know this town runs on gossip, so why add the rumor mill?! You’re just being fucking m-” Tweek gasped as his face was grabbed by his dad, hissing quietly in pain as the grip squeezed his cheeks until he couldn’t speak properly.

“ _Don’t-don’t you curse at me.”_

“D’d s’op!” Tweek hissed out, squirming to shake the grip on his face.

“Richard!” Mary shouted from the steps. In her attempt to try and not anger her husband, she had snuck upstairs while waiting for Tweek and must’ve dozed off.

You learn a lot after being married to an alcoholic for nearly twenty years.

“Did you t’ch him-him how to swear?” Richard asked, eyes barely able to focus on his wife. “Ca’se I didn’t.”

“Richard, let him _go._ Just because you’re upset with Craig Tucker doesn’t make it right to take it out on your son!”

“ _My son_ h’ngs OUT with that-that _fucking kid!_ Does-do you have a little _crush_ , Tweek?”

For a split second, Tweek stopped trying to get his dad’s hand off his face and looked at him with hurt eyes. His father has always supported him, so hearing him _mock_ his feelings towards Craig?

Yeah…it fucking stung.

“ _…Dad…”_

Richard grunted as he finally let Tweek’s face go, fingers twisting into his disheveled curls while he laughed.

“It’s just… _sorry_. But-But why _him?!_ Of-of all the _fucking people_?! He looks _just like his-his father….just like…his father_ …”

“D-Dad-like Craig said-he loves me in ways that you just won’t understand, and I love _him_ in ways that you won’t understand!”

“Please, Tweek,” Richard chuckled, rubbing at his temples. “He-he isn’t _gay_. It-it’s just a little crush, kiddo. J’st a crush. He’ll hurt you. That’s-that’s why they’re called-called _crushes_ , stupid.”

Something clicked in Tweek’s brain.

Was it the right thing to say or do?

No.

But was he glad he said it.

Abso-fucking-lutely.

“He wasn’t hurting me while we made out in the church confessional booth and jerked each other off last month!” Tweek shouted suddenly.

And something snapped in Richard’s brain, his hand moving faster than he could register.

“ _RICHARD!”_

His mom’s scream was just barely heard over the ringing in his ear, hands clutching at his stinging cheek while staring at his father with wide eyes.

His dad has never hit him. So why now? Over Craig Tucker?

“F-Fuck you.” Tweek sobbed out, rushing past and upstairs to his room. He left the door unlocked, just because he knew his father wouldn’t be able to climb the stairs without assistance from his mother. Besides: he really needed his mom right now. And thank god she came wandering in about three minutes later, this time locking the door behind her. Silently, she took her slippers off and crawled into bed next to Tweek once he moved over, his head settling against her chest as he sobbed.

“I-I got you. It’s okay. Mommy’s here.” She cooed, kissing the top of Tweek’s head while scratching his back lightly.

“M-Mom…I-I love Craig…so _much_.”

“I know you do. I know. I’ve k-known for so long now,” She smiled softly as Tweek looked up, thumb brushing carefully over his swollen cheek. “And does he love you?”

“…W-We’ve been dating for almost three months now…but-but he isn’t _out_ yet…so that’s why I haven’t said anything. And I _shouldn’t_ h-have said anything downstairs because I _outed him_ to you guys!”

“Tweek,” Mary eased him to lie back down as he tried to sit up and fidget, smile on her face as she stroked his hair. “Y-Your father is so drunk, he won’t remember what you said. And you know I’d _never_ do such a thing to Craig. He’s a good boy. Why your father detests him, I’m not sure…I’ve tried to get that information out of him for so long now, but no luck.”

The soft sobs that wracked Tweek’s body slowed down, sniffles filling the room as he tried to process his thoughts.

“T-Thank you.”

“Of course, dear. We’re in this together you and I. Until your father finally gets the help he needs again…we’re in this together.”

Both Mary and Tweek laid awake while Richard continued to shout downstairs, fighting off the sleep they so desperately craved until it fell silent downstairs.

Once the beast had undoubtedly passed out is when they let their eyes close.

Although he wishes it was Craig he was holding onto at this moment, Tweek didn’t mind holding onto his mom while he drifted off to sleep.

That’s the best sense of security he could have in this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hi there!  
> Long time no see, yeah?   
> Sorry I've been gone so long. I work normally nights and I usually like to write at night, but considering I don't get home until after midnight, I'm usually pretty tired by the time I'm home. And then on my two days off, I hang out with my bf and try to get somethings done (like holiday shopping, since it's that time of year!)  
> But I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Kind of a filler chapter that introduced some major plot points coming up hehe ;)   
> I hope you all enjoyed and-as always-any and all comments are appreciated!   
> Until the next update! :)


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